Wheelchair Transport Assistance for Low-income Families

Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Health (a) how many residents currently require wheelchair transport assistance, especially with accompaniment; (b) what is the support provided for low-income families; and (c) how can the Ministry work with the public transport operators and ride-hailing companies to increase the capacity to cater for an ageing population.

Seniors requiring wheelchair transport assistance can apply for funding under the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) to offset the cost of wheelchairs and other assistive devices, as well as transport services to the Ministry of Health (MOH)-funded eldercare and dialysis services. Based on our estimates, over the last five years, 23,000 seniors received subsidies for wheelchairs under the SMF, and 6,000 seniors who are wheelchair users benefited from our transport subsidies. We do not have other data that provide comprehensive information on the total number of residents who require wheelchairs.

We have also been working with transport providers to support seniors who are frail or require wheelchairs. For example, the MOH-funded Medical Escort and Transport (MET) services provide transport and accompaniment services for such seniors who need to attend medical appointments at hospitals, specialist outpatient clinics and polyclinics. Seniors from lower-income families receive higher levels of funding under both the SMF and MET.

To increase transport options for frail and wheelchair-bound seniors, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) is appointing centralised providers to operate transport services to eldercare centres. AIC has also trained drivers from our taxi companies and, more recently, drivers from Uber, to better cater to passengers who are in wheelchairs.