Well, as we know, poverty happens all over the world. Many are in the state of poverty. But what is poverty? Poverty is what we call those that live in a low-imcome family household.

Poor children in Hong Kong

Knowing the Facts

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 1.22 million people that are currently living in a low-income household. There have been tests shown that there has been an increase in low-income family in the past decade. Studies show that at least one out of four children currently living in a low-income household. There have been major gaps between the high and low income family. For example, a low income family may only 500 while the high-income family may make up to 3500-4000. A gap like that could only mean that the poor will only become poorer while the rich becomes richer. Many times, it is hard to survive with such a low income. Over the past 10 years, the rate of poverty has increased from 1995 to 2005. During 1995, the poverty rate was 14.8% and risen to 17.7% in 2005.

Elderly Women and Poverty

In Hong Kong, about 60% of the population is not secure with any kind of retirement funds of any kind. Almost 90% of the seniors have not gotten their retirement money yet. Most women had to work in factories for little money. The elderly work 10 hours a day and only get paid for about 20 US dollars. Not only do the women have a low payment, but they also have bad working environments as well. About 120,000 of the elderly have to work in the poor conditions in order to survive. Housewives on the other hand don't get pay for their work around the house. They have to be dependent on their husbands to make the money. The problem is that these women don't have the benefits of a retirement protection because of the law. Because of this, more women have to receive special income from the government. Studies show that 52% of the people receiving this kind of special income are women. This shows that there are more women who are under this kind of problems than men.

Symbol of the Hong Kong Health Care company

Health Care, What are the Problems....

In Hong Kong, the health care system is quite good. However, there is a mix of health care department, one is UK style National Health Service and the other is Department of Health. The two companies splits up the different areas that they work for. For example, the Hong Kong hospital authority watches over all the public health care facilities in the city. Yet, this has not turned out to be a wise decision. Recently, there have been arguments over the problems the have been having. Some people complain about their service and some of the people couldn't be treated because there isn't enough room in the hospital for everyone. Other problems are that the nurses and doctors aren't being trained quickly enough to meet with the sick demands. Because of this, many civilians choose to receive the treatment from the private health care center. This means that the people will have to pay a much higher price than the regular hospitals in order to receive their treatment.

A poor person on the Street

External Links

These websites were the ones that I used to gather information on Hong Kong's health care and Hong Kong's elderly.