Hong Kong welfare chief pledges more support for carers, after 2 intellectually disabled brothers believed to have starved to death in mother’s absence
- Bodies of intellectually disabled siblings, aged 53 and 55, found in flat; mother had been taking care of them until her hospital admission in May, source says
- Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun says government will strengthen ‘safety net’ for families in need, but one expert says authorities must take action sooner
Hong Kong’s welfare chief has pledged stronger support for carers a day after two middle-aged brothers with intellectual disabilities were believed to have starved to death following their mother’s admittance to hospital.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the incident and said more would be done to improve support services. His comments came amid calls for action over a string of similar deaths involving vulnerable people left to take care of themselves.
“The government hopes to strengthen the [social] safety net for families in need. In doing so, we will launch a carer hotline to provide a one-stop service,” he said.
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A source familiar with the case said the deceased brothers received regular medical check-ups until June last year, after which they increasingly depended on their mother’s care as their own abilities to look after themselves deteriorated.
But their mother has been in hospital since May this year, with the brothers left on their own at home.
The insider said an initial examination showed the pair had been dead for some time.
Sun said government records showed the family had not reached out to any organisations or the Social Welfare Department for help previously, adding authorities immediately contacted relatives to offer support.
The department has commissioned a dedicated 24-hour hotline for carers, which will be launched later this year by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.
Sun said the hotline would not only provide immediate support over the phone but also arrange referrals to other welfare organisations according to the needs of the individual.
But Professor Hector Tsang Wing-hong of Polytechnic University called for the quicker implementation of new measures.
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Tsang, who led research focusing on carers and made recommendations to the government including the hotline, said authorities had incorporated his advice in updating some services, such as the phone service, but proposed projects were still in the pipeline.
“The department should learn a lesson … the Social Welfare Department needs to speed up the pace,” he said. “It is a very unfortunate event that happened in the transitional period.”
Tsang said he believed the tragedy underscored that underprivileged elderly carers had little knowledge about accessing existing social services.
According to the insider, a younger brother of the pair went to the flat on June 8, but they refused to open the door.
The younger brother also attempted to contact them by phone but was unsuccessful.
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According to police, no signs of fighting and ransacking were found in the flat and there were no suspicious injuries on the bodies.
“As the refrigerator in the flat had no food, it is possible the two brothers starved to death due to their lack of self-care ability after their mother was hospitalised,” the source said.
He said autopsies would be carried out to determine the cause of death.
Several tragedies involving vulnerable people left to take care of themselves have prompted calls for better community care services.
Skeleton found at Hong Kong flat in second case of remains discovered in 2 days
On May 15, a skeleton believed to be that of a 69-year-old man was found in a public rental flat in Sha Tin after Housing Authority employees visited. A source said police investigations showed the man lived alone and there was no sign of a break-in.
A day earlier, a 59-year-old woman and her 86-year-old father were found dead in their home at Mei Foo Sun Chuen in Lai Chi Kok after a family member called for help after nobody answered the door during a Mother’s Day visit.
