Li goes to heart of matter in $101m lifesaver

The Li Ka Shing Foundation has allocated HK$101 million to support local medical services, which includes a handout of HK$50,000 per person to encourage University of Hong Kong medical students graduating this year and next to stay and serve Hong Kong.

That was part of its launch of the second phase of its "Love Can Help" medical assistance program yesterday, with the HK$101 million to support needy patients, medical professionals and the social welfare sector.

To encourage medical graduates to stay and serve, it has allocated HK$20.8 million to support a pilot initiative - the LKS Career Seeding Fund - for medical graduates from the HKU Li Ka Shing faculty of medicine. The HK$50,000 handout goes to this and next year's graduates.

Another HK$48 million is allocated to Hospital Authority patients, including HK$40 million to support those receiving certain heart surgeries - percutaneous coronary intervention and left atrial appendage occlusion. Each patient can get a HK$10,000 subsidy.

Another HK$8 million will be used to support around 80 patients facing operations, including transcatheter aortic valve implantation replacement, which is a new, minimally invasive procedure for those with aortic stenosis, a common heart valve problem associated with heart failure and death.

Some HK$10 million will go to the transcatheter cardiovascular interventions subsidy scheme at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, which has so far helped 39 people with severe aortic stenosis. The foundation has already donated HK$20 million to the scheme.

It will also earmark HK$22 million to supporting 12 non-governmental organizations hit by the pandemic.

It will be spent on services for the visually impaired, the mentally and physically handicapped, autistic children, the elderly and underprivileged families. The NGOs include Ebenezer School & Home for the Visually Impaired, New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, Hong Chi Association and Food Angel.

Foundation chairman Li Ka-shing expressed "heartfelt appreciation" to medical workers.

"In these particularly challenging and vulnerable times, your conscientiousness and perseverance is a bright light of assurance to Hong Kong. The greatest gift of support to your effort is self-discipline," he said.

"I humbly urge each and every citizen of our city to fight the pandemic. A big thank you also to our social welfare workers who strive to maintain services during such a crisis. We are grateful for your dedication, and your professionalism is what we all treasure."