Hong Kong primary healthcare system should offer more subsidised services for mindfulness as part of patient options: expert
- Meditation-type therapy said to be useful for people with depression, anxiety, insomnia, substance abuse
- Mindfulness services could be part of options at 18 government-backed district health centres or express stations, Professor Samuel Wong of Chinese University says
Professor Samuel Wong Yeung-shan, director of Chinese University’s Thomas Jing Centre for Mindfulness Research and Training, said there should be more subsidised services on mindfulness under the city’s primary healthcare to offer patients more options.
He said it was difficult for beginners to learn mindfulness even if they were aware of the benefits. Private sessions were available at around HK$4,000 to HK$5,000 (US$511 to US$638) for eight classes.
“There are currently no services for mindfulness … you would need to pay for classes in mindfulness but then this is a barrier,” said Wong, who heads the university’s school of public health and primary care.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation involving breathing methods to help individuals become intensely aware of sensations and feelings.