Press Releases

Additional $20 million to top up Trust Fund for SARS

The Government will inject an additional $20 million to top up the proposed Trust Fund for SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), bringing the total one-off commitment to $150 million.

The trust fund was proposed earlier to provide special ex-gratia assistance to SARS-affected families on compassionate grounds. It comprised two portions:

(1) special ex-gratia relief payments for family members of deceased SARS patients; and

(2) special ex-gratia financial assistance for recovered SARS patients suffering from longer-term effects, attributable to SARS or arising from the treatment received for SARS, which might result in some degree of physical or psychological dysfunction.

The additional provision of $20 million will increase the total amount for recovered SARS patients from the original $50 million to $70 million.

Explaining the additional commitment, a spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau today (October 28 ) said: "With medical knowledge available to date, it is not possible to work out precisely the number of recovered SARS patients with medical needs.

"We also recognise that it is difficult to estimate the amount of financial assistance needed for an individual applicant, which very much depends on the medical and economic needs of the individual concerned.

"Nevertheless, we propose to inject an additional of $20 million into the fund to address the concern over the adequacy of the fund earmarked for recovered SARS patients."

The provision for family members of deceased SARS patients remained unchanged, the spokesman added.

The proposed injection would be discussed at a joint meeting of the Legislative Council's Health Services and Welfare Services Panels tomorrow (October 29). The Finance Committee would be approached on November 7 for funding approval for the establishment of the Trust Fund for SARS.

Ends/Tuesday, October 28, 2003
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