Hong Kong to set up database of at-risk elderly to support isolated carers, minister says

Hong Kong welfare authorities are hoping to establish a database of at-risk elderly within the next two years, bringing together information from various departments and other entities following a string of tragedies involving older residents.

Speaking at the Jockey Club’s Philanthropy for Better Cities Forum on Tuesday, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the government aimed to make use of “the big data already in place” to support such residents.

The minister said authorities’ current response to tragedies involving at-risk elderly residents tended to be “reactive”, adding that he wanted to adopt a more active approach.

“Can we make use of all the big data already in place? Just say for the Social Welfare Department, we have huge [sets] of data, but in different pockets,” he said.

Potentially useful data ranged from social security records to public hospital patient information, but they were held by different organisations such as the department, the Hospital Authority, the Housing Authority or even NGOs and energy firms.