Early intervention service suspensions raise concerns over treatment delays

Parents have raised concerns over disruptions to early intervention services for children with special educational needs, with questions over whether a new public procurement process could delay access to treatment.

In a written inquiry, Wong Kit Cheng said parents had reported widespread suspensions of early intervention services commissioned by the government from private organizations. The services reportedly need to undergo a new tendering process under the revised Public Procurement Law, raising concerns that children could face prolonged interruptions to their treatment.

Wong called on the the government to clarify the timetable for the tendering and contract-awarding procedures and speed up the full resumption of services. She also asked whether transitional arrangements were in place to prioritize referrals for children with urgent needs and prevent delays from affecting treatment outcomes.

Wong also pointed to Hong Kong’s plan to introduce a school-based support model for preschool rehabilitation services in phases. In her interpellation, she asked whether Macau would consider adopting a similar approach by integrating therapy services into schools and expanding training for school-based special education teams, in line with its community-based resource support model. LV