Page 13 - Accelerating Research and Impact - Issue 5

Ageing Smarter under COVID-19 10
Senior citizens attempt online medical consultations
The suspension of most of the non-emergency services at public hospitals upon the COVID-19 outbreak is a source of worries to senior citizens with chronic illnesses, as they have not been able to attend scheduled medical appointments. A survey by the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS) in May 2020 revealed that over 60% of senior citizens are willing or very willing to try online medical consultations when the technology is fully developed.
Prof Genghua HUANG, Research Assistant Professor and Education Officer of APIAS, who was responsible for the survey, said that most of the elderly citizens interviewed were aware of the severity of the outbreak. Over 80% of respondents said the COVID-19 outbreak was much more severe than the SARS epidemic in 2003. More than 55% considered that they were at moderate or high risk of infection. About 70% of the interviewees have paid more attention to their health conditions during the outbreak.
“The COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity for Hong Kong to develop telemedicine platforms in the forthcoming 5G era. The HKSAR Government published in December 2017 the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong and the vision to build Hong Kong into a world-class smart city. Developing smart healthcare has to be a key component in this important endeavour,” said the Vice-President, Prof Joshua Ka Ho MOK.