Pamela TinandDicky Chow

Opinion | Fifth wave offers lessons for improving Hong Kong’s healthcare system, but we must not forget about mental health

Uneven and inadequate provision of mental health services in the face of strict Covid-19 measures has left many isolated, without end-of-life care, or bereavement support

Strategies to address structural failings and strengthen Hong Kong’s healthcare system must take into account the importance of mental health

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A health worker sits outside a building under lockdown on March 25. Frontline Covid-19 staff are experiencing burnout amid Hong Kong’s deadly fifth wave. Photo: EPA-EFE

Pamela TinandDicky Chow

Published: 8:24am, 15 Apr 2022

Since the beginning of Hong Kong’s fifth Covid-19 wave, more than 1 million people have tested positive and over 8,000 lives have been lost. Among the many system failures exposed by the pandemic, residents’ mental well-being deserves urgent attention.

A 2020 study by the University of Hong Kong show that the proportion of Hongkongers suffering from probable anxiety and depression is close to 14 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention has recorded a rise in the suicide risk index to “crisis” level during the fifth wave. The outbreak has gradually morphed into a mental health crisis which cannot be ignored.

Various sectors of the community, with the help of the government, have worked to mobilise resources and provide flexible services to support the mental health needs of Hongkongers. The government’s “Shall We Talk” initiative provided tips and seminars; HKU’s “Headwind” offered remote mental health intervention and free consultations with psychiatrists; Mind HK offered free online support for vulnerable groups; while various organisations such as the Richmond Fellowship of Hong Kong and Caritas Hong Kong provided remote services such as telephone counselling.

Yet Hong Kong’s overall approach to the pandemic and the allocation of resources depend on clear direction from the government to ensure that services are reaching those who can benefit from them.

An elderly couple make their way on a footbridge in Hong Kong on March 20. The government will need to identify vulnerable groups in need of immediate and post-pandemic mental health support. Photo: AP

Looking forward, the government will need to identify vulnerable groups in need of immediate and post-pandemic mental health support, coordinate with different service providers, and strategically allocate resources according to needs.