The ageing population in Hong Kong and increasing number of patients suffering from terminal illness are fuelling a growing demand for palliative care and hospice services. In a follow-up to funding the first hospice home in Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has donated HK$172 million to The Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care (SPHC) to build a new hospice service centre in Shatin that will provide a residential home for the terminally ill, offering personalised advance care planning and providing support to their families.
Today (24 October), Club Steward Stephen Ip Shu Kwan joined Financial Secretary John Tsang, SPHC Executive Committee Chairman Raymond Wong and other guests to officiate at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jockey Club Home for Hospice, which is due for completion in 2015.
The Club first partnered SPHC 20 years ago to establish the nearby Bradbury Hospice, the first facility to provide hospice care in the city. In funding the new centre, Mr Ip said, “To further our mission to enhance the quality of life of all Hong Kong citizens, the Club did not hesitate to fund this family-oriented centre, donating HK$122 million in 2011 and a supplementary grant of HK$50 million earlier this year for the Society to build and equip the Jockey Club Home for Hospice. Half of the rooms will be rented at a low fee similar to public hospital charges, so as to benefit low-income groups.”
Financial Secretary John Tsang thanked The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for the generous financial support of this Home for Hospice project, a first-of-a-kind project for Hong Kong, to provide essential care services in a home-like setting.
The Jockey Club Home for Hospice is being built on A Kung Kok Shan Road in Shatin, opposite the Bradbury Hospice. When completed by 2015, it will provide a home-like hospice residence of 30 en-suite rooms, with multi-purpose function rooms for family gatherings, a peaceful garden as a sanctuary for residents and their family members, and a multi-religion quiet room for meditation and remembrance.
Designed to be self-financing, the residential home will help complement curative treatment in hospitals, and supplement existing palliative services by providing more options for the community, enabling patients’ earlier discharge from hospital and releasing hospital beds which are in great demand.
Apart from supporting the SPHC, the Club has taken a number of other initiatives to meet the increasing demand for hospice services, and to promote positive attitudes in society towards death. Measures include the construction of Haven of Hope Holistic Care Centre in Tseung Kwan O to provide medical and nursing care for the chronically ill and frail elderly; “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant – Comfort Care and Support for the Bereaved” which offers bereavement support services through the Comfort Care Concern Group, the ENABLE Project, a Trust-funded programme implemented by The University of Hong Kong promoting local life and death education and the 10th International Conference on Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society in 2014 and its prelude public seminar series.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is not only one of the world’s leading horse racing organisations, but also Hong Kong’s largest community contributor, donating HK$1.95 billion in 2012/13. In addition, the Club is a major taxpayer, Hong Kong’s single largest by far, generating over HK$17.64 billion in 2012/13 for public funds. The Club pioneers technology applications for sporting and betting entertainment, striving for the highest levels of customer service. As a membership club, it is recognised as one of Asia’s most prestigious. These multifaceted roles make it a well-respected and remarkable organisation, dedicated to its mission of enhancing the quality of life for all Hong Kong people.
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Club Steward Stephen Ip Shu Kwan says the Club has donated HK$172 million for the construction of the JC Home for Hospice, where half of the rooms will be rented at a fee similar to public hospital charges to benefit low-income groups.
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Photos 2/3:
Club Steward Stephen Ip Shu Kwan (3rd left) joins Financial Secretary John Tsang (centre), SPHC Honorary President Dr Leong Che-hung (3rd right), Caroline Courtauld (2nd right) and Jim Thompson (1st right), Executive Committee Chairman Raymond Wong (2nd left) and Project Management Sub-Committee Chairman Paul Wu (1st left) to officiate at the groundbreaking ceremony of the JC Home for Hospice.
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Photos 4/5:
The Jockey Club Home for Hospice is expected to be completed by 2015.
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