After expanding its board of stewards with new deputy chairman Eric Cheung and new chairman Michael Lee at the beginning of the month and announcing an impressive turnover of HKD 140 billion ($17.8 billion) for 2021-2022 in mid-July in spite of COVID restrictions, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has fresh news. The club has announced a HK$100 million ($12.7 million) contribution to a fresh, long-term recovery scheme for COVID. 

HKJC to Support Patients Suffering from Long COVID

The support program launched by the HKJC is meant to help former COVID-19 patients who continue to suffer from the lingering effects of the virus. The problem is generically known as long Covid. Evidence has proven that some individuals have been affected by a variety of health conditions post their recovery, including breathing issues and fatigue.

Hong Kong recorded more than 1.7 million COVID-19 cases since 2020, entering its fifth wave at the beginning of the year. The HKJC believes there will be a surge in demand for these rehabilitation solutions for long COVID sufferers, explaining the idea to set up the program.

The program was put together with the help of a number of non-governmental organizations, including St James’ Settlement, Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, and Hong Kong Christian Service. 

The Support Program to Include Three Services

The HKJC long COVID program will offer three separate support services that will cater to the needs of both elderly care homes and local communities. The HHJC approximates that roughly 40,000 people will access these new services provided, with an estimated number of 30,000 patients expected to use the self-management website and associated app.

The Community Support Services program will be offered together with eight NGOs with centers spreading across 12 districts. The program will rely on case-management approaches that will assess the individual needs of each patient. Up to 10,000 interested individuals will benefit from bespoke care plans, while their goals will be set for up to 12 weeks. The program will prioritize vulnerable individuals and it will be provided for the duration of one year. 

The Support Services for Elderly Homes program is aimed at helping long COVID patients in private homes with limited resources that have been severely impacted by the last COVID-19 wave recover at a faster pace. The program will be implemented together with the Hong Kong Association of Gerontology and it will also offer psychosocial training and nutrition programs.

The Self-management Support Services program will benefit from an app created and launched by the Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The app will offer helpful tips and advice to long COVID patients. A website version will also be available. Both options will encourage 

recovered patients to live healthier lifestyles to ease the burden of long COVID problems by helping them set up rehabilitation goals, telling them which cross-disciplinary programs to join, and assisting them with monitoring their physical and psychological progress.