Residents have voiced concern about the emotional issues that people with autism could suffer due to the length of time they have to wait for an appointment for a consultation, suggesting that priority should be given to ensuring their appointments are made as soon as possible or providing them with space to relieve their emotions.
The residents raised the issue during a current affairs radio phone-in programme on the Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM yesterday.
Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) senior official Choi Sio Un responded to the concern by pointing out that medical entities needed to consider the urgency of the cases based on each patient’s medical condition, and whether to give priority to certain cases depended on the nature of the services provided by respective health-care providers.
While non-medical factors, Choi said, are not the main consideration of the medical entities, he said he hoped that members of the public would understand the situation.
Choi also suggested that the medical entities with the necessary conditions could provide as far as possible palliative measures and space for those who have emotional issues.
The Social Welfare Bureau’s (IAS) Rehabilitation Service Division’s Rehabilitation Service Support Unit senior official Yu Ka Wai said during yesterday’s programme it was necessary for medical staff or social workers to maintain patience in the process of treating those with mental issues, use language that is as simple as possible to communicate with them, or even transfer the respective patient to a quieter space, as well as allow sufficient time for him or her to respond.
The programme also talked about the state of implementation of the government’s year-long pilot scheme to train access officers to ensure that the disabled are able to enjoy a barrier-free environment when entering public entities’ premises.
Choi said that a total of 17 venues in 10 public entities have placed access officers in the programme’s first phase since its launch on January 2, with more than 300 members of the public having received services provided by the access officers in seven venues of the Social Affairs Bureau so far.
Choi pointed out that the government has improved the hardware support for a barrier-free environment, and hoped that the scheme can help support people with disabilities to use public services independently.
Choi said that there are currently 50 access officers – about three per venue – providing support services, and it was hoped that access officers would accumulate experience during the one-year project, so that the government could promote the scheme to more public entities and even get private enterprises on board.
Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) official Choi Sio Un (right) and IAS Rehabilitation Service Division’s Rehabilitation Service Support Unit official Yu Ka Wai attend yesterday’s phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio channel. – Photo courtesy of TDM
