In Hong Kong, where the distribution of resources is extremely unfair, the problem of "health inequality" is quite serious, but most people don't take it seriously; under such a framework, "longevity" is not a good thing.
As pointed out by the World Health Organization in the World Health Report in 1997: "A simple increase in life expectancy does not mean an improvement in the quality of life, and healthy life expectancy is more important than life expectancy." Zhong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Health Equity at CUHK and a public health expert Yinuo also said that people's health is not just about numbers, quality is also very important.
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Because of the lack of social resources and the poor community and family environment, the poor are more likely to feel deprived and unbalanced.
(Getty)
According to data from the Census and Statistics Department, in 2020 the proportion of employed elderly persons over the age of 65 in Hong Kong will reach 12.1% of the total workforce.
Judging by the data and the level of economic development, no one would doubt that Hong Kong is not a rich and long-lived society.
But the actual city scene is that many elderly people are still sluggishly picking up papers after retirement, and they have to work two jobs in restaurants for more than ten hours after they are over seventy years old... "Only savings plus MPF, It is simply difficult to maintain a post-retirement life,” said Zhong Jianhua, deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute. Taking 65 as the retirement age, there are still 20 years to go. “How can these tens of thousands of dollars guarantee the quality of life?”
In the book "The Old Man Downstream", the Japanese writer Takatori Fujita defines the elderly who cannot maintain a basic standard of living and have to live a low-level life as "the elderly downstream".
They don't have enough savings, they don't have healthy food, they can't afford medical bills, they don't have adequate medical care, they suffer from chronic diseases, and they live in dilapidated houses.
Coincidentally, in Hong Kong, which lacks the "universal retirement protection system", there are also a large number of "downstream elderly" - currently, about 391,000 people are defined as "poor elderly", and 279,000 people are over 70 years old. The quality is also not much better, and it is more likely to face the desolate evening scene of "die alone"...
For details, please read the 301st issue of "Hong Kong 01" Electronic Weekly (January 24, 2022) "
Longevity is a "punishment" under health
inequality
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