The local government should talk to its Guangdong counterpart about enabling local residents aged 65 or over to enjoy the free health care they have in Macau in the province’s public hospitals and health centres, Chan Pou Sam, a standing vice-president of the Macau Jiangmen Communal Society, said yesterday.

Chan made the announcement during a press conference about the government’s first 5-year development plan, which is still being drafted, at the society’s headquarters in Zape. He said the government should come up with clear policy goals concerning its services for the elderly in the plan. Insisting that the problem of Macau’s ageing population “is getting more and more serious”, Chan said around 18,000 of the society’s 61,000 members are aged 65 or over.

According to official statistics, 9.0 percent of the local population was aged 65 or over last year. 

Macau Jiangmen Communal Society Standing Vice-President Chan Pou Sam addresses yesterday’s press conference at the society’s headquarters in Zape. Photo: Davis Ip

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