Legislators highlight gaps in city’s social safety net following discovery of elderly woman’s skeletal remains, the second case in three months
Hong Kong lawmakers are calling for the expansion of pilot schemes to identify and support elderly residents living alone or with a spouse in ageing districts, following two recent cases in which skeletal remains were found in public flats in Kwai Tsing.
Some legislators on Thursday highlighted existing gaps in the city’s social safety net for high-risk elderly people, calling on the government to expand the support schemes as soon as possible to cover more residents in need, with priority given to ageing districts.
On Wednesday, the skeletal remains of a 77-year-old woman were found in her home in Shing Yat House in Kwai Shing East Estate – the second such discovery in three months in a public flat in Kwai Tsing district. Investigators reportedly found sales receipts in the flat dating back to November 2023, with none bearing later dates.
In May, police received a report from a Housing Department employee who found the remains of an 83-year-old man in a flat at Shek Lei (I) Estate.
