KUALA LUMPUR - The Advisory Committee on Mental Health (ACMH) launched a one-year support program for families bereaved by the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po, last Thursday.

The fire, which broke out on November 26, spread across seven of the eight buildings in the housing complex, took 43 hours to be fully extinguished, and claimed at least 160 lives.

In the initial stage, participating organizations include Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, Comfort Care Concern Group, and Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, which will actively reach out to bereaved families to provide services.

ACMH Chairman Dr Lam Ching-choi said aligned with the Social Welfare Department’s ‘one social worker per household’ service, the program offers free mental health support, grief and bereavement counselling, and referrals to clinical psychologists or psychiatrists based on risk assessments.

The Hospital Authority will train staff from the social service organizations to enhance their skills in responding to disaster-related stress and trauma.

“We fully understand the profound pain and loss caused by the disaster. The Compassionate Support Programme for Bereaved Families will pool strengths from different sectors to provide psychological support for bereaved families affected by the disaster in a timely manner and to journey with them through this difficult time,” Dr Lam said in a statement.

In addition, the Judiciary also has announced that all legal proceedings related to the fire will be prioritized and expedited, with measures in place to support affected individuals.

A dedicated task group, led by the Chief Judge of the High Court and including court leaders and specialist judges, will ensure swift handling of legal matters without compromising the administration of justice.

The Judiciary will designate staff to manage probate-related issues for deceased victims and coordinate with government departments to provide essential information, with a hotline at 2840 1683 for enquiries.

Fees for probate matters will be waived, and concessions for other court services may also be considered, while processing of coroner-related matters, including Certificates of the Fact of Death, will be accelerated.

The Legal Aid Department (LAD) will handle litigation related to personal injury, property damage, and employees’ compensation claims, working with the Social Welfare Department to inform affected families about legal aid procedures and eligibility.

Hotlines (2867 4516 or 2399 2277) have been set up to assist affected citizens with legal aid inquiries.

“The Legal Aid Department will streamline application procedures and deploy staff to expedite processing of legal aid applications, so as to ensure that eligible residents and other affected persons can obtain legal aid as soon as possible,” said LAD in a press release.

The LAD will also assign legal representatives to handle litigation for approved applicants and advise affected persons not to arrange their own legal representation to avoid unnecessary costs.