Ryan Ip,Dicky ChowandDorothy Yeung

Opinion | Hong Kong must break the taboos around end-of-life care and death

With a law passed on advanced medical directives, the onus is on government to provide life-and-death education and facilitate discussion

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A still of The Last Dance. The success of the film, which lifts a veil on Hong Kong funeral rites, suggest a growing openness among Hongkongers to exploring the difficult subject of death. Photo: Emperor Motion Pictures

Ryan Ip,Dicky ChowandDorothy Yeung

Published: 9:30am, 5 Dec 2024

Hong Kong has passed a law allowing people to reject certain end-of-life care treatments through advanced medical directives, a long-awaited milestone for many. The Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Bill was given the nod in the Legislative Council on November 20.

But there are still those who feel emotionally unprepared for the law, which provides a transitional period of 18 months for medical institutions to revise guidelines and retrain staff. For many Hongkongers, making or accepting the decision to reject life-sustaining medical treatment is still a highly charged issue.

The government has work to do, from providing comprehensive life-and-death education to facilitating open discussions about end-of-life care.

Although some still find conversations around death and mortality difficult, even taboo, films that gently explore the topic, such as the recent Hong Kong blockbuster The Last Dance, have helped to open up the discussion. The success of The Last Dance suggests a growing openness among Hongkongers to exploring this difficult subject.

The widely watched film not only lifts a veil on local funeral rites and rituals but also, importantly, illustrates the complex emotions and discussions that revolve around the death of a loved one. Its positive reception gives the government an opportunity to promote life-and-death education.

To harness the momentum, the government should consider a holistic, multifaceted approach, using formal and informal learning environments for life-and-death education to cover schools and the broader community.