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To provide the elderly with appropriate financial support, we gerontech products; it cannot be used for any other purpose.
believe that the Government should extend the scope of the This is to differentiate the voucher extension’s purpose from
EHCVS and the CCSV to allow for the purchase or rental of the vouchers’ existing scope of purchasing medical or welfare
gerontech products. The extension should come with an services. Elderly eligible for the CCSV should be entitled to a
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additional budget that has clear restrictions and guidance higher added value than general elderly who are eligible for
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on its usage, which will be described below. Such an extension the EHCVS, due to their more severe health needs. As the
is justifiable because the preventive and rehabilitative nature of CCSV has an existing co-payment mechanism in place, we
gerontech products closely aligns with the EHCVS’s objective to suggest that the Government consider extending the
promote preventive care and the CCSV’s objective to promote means-tested co-payment arrangement for the CCSV’s
ageing-in-place. The extension is made more advantageous by gerontech extension as well (SWD, 2021, April 1). 46
the fact that gerontech meets the vouchers’ objectives without
relying on scarce professional manpower within the medical and Second, the voucher extension should be clear on what
welfare services. gerontech products are covered for whom. Based on the $1
billion I&T Fund Reference list, a pre-approved list of gerontech
Particularly given the prevalence of abuse associated with the products should be made available. Similar to the $1 billion I&T
EHCVS, it is important to be cautious when thinking about how Fund’s Reference list (Appendix II), this pre-approved product
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to implement the voucher schemes’ gerontech extension. reference list for the voucher schemes’ gerontech extension
During a focus group that we conducted with elders, they also should have clearly defined categories and price ranges for
shared that price transparency remains a major concern with the specific types of gerontech products. The voucher extension
EHCVS. There must be clear boundaries regarding the scope list can be initially based on the products covered by the $1
of the voucher schemes’ gerontech extension, which can billion I&T Fund’s Reference list; however, because applicants of
be done through the clear differentiation of various gerontech the $1 billion I&T Fund are institutions, the Reference list price
products by purpose and by price. The set price range will help range is relatively high and the size of products are quite large.
prevent end-users from being exploited. The voucher extension’s product reference list should include
more lower-priced products that are suitable for end-users’
First, it must be made clear that this voucher extension can individual daily use at home, such as smart medication boxes,
only be used exclusively for the purchase or rental of fall prevention devices, etc.

43 In the longer term, given that PwD living at home also have a significant need for gerontech, we suggest that the Government further consider giving PwD access to something
equivalent to the above-mentioned voucher extension for gerontech, even though PwD do not have access to either the EHCVS or the CCSV.
The Consumer Council has documented several instances during which elderly using the EHCVS were tricked into paying higher costs than necessary or purchasing unnecessary
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products (Consumer Council, 2018, June). A survey conducted by the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO) found that 59% of respondents felt they had been unreasonably
charged when paying with the EHCVS (SoCO, 2018).
45 Similarly, if the voucher extension is also offered to PwD, then all privileges offered to elderly with CCSV extension should be also offered to PwD assessed to be severely disabled.
46 The CCSV has an existing practice of co-payment which have six co-payment categories: 5%, 8%, 12%, 16%, 25%, and 40%. The co-payment amount is adjusted for household
monthly income. The 5% category covers elderly receiving CSSA (SWD, 2021, April 1).
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