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Written by: Chen Qianting
2019-12-17 06:00
Last updated: 2019-12-17 06:00The government's policy address in October this year mentioned that it will explore allowing overseas doctors who are newly registered or have years of experience in medical practice to receive specialist training in Hong Kong, and the outside world is concerned about whether to lower the threshold for overseas training for overseas doctors.
Two months later, Liu Zexing, the chairman of the Hong Kong Academy of Medical Sciences, revealed that 9 medical colleges, including pediatrics, internal medicine, emergency department and family medicine school, agreed to provide specialist training for new overseas doctors without affecting local doctors. . Liu Zexing emphasized that instead of lowering the bar for specialist training, the medical profession did not compromise on the quality of doctors.
A medical union representative bluntly stated that government officials wishfully thought that doctors who came to Hong Kong for limited registration intend to stay in Hong Kong for a long time and serve in public hospitals, ignoring the root causes of the working environment of the public hospital and the difficult living environment of Hong Kong, attracting new policies. Overseas doctors have reservations.
The shortage of medical staff in the hospital is nothing new. (Profile picture)
The shortage of public medical staff in Hong Kong continues. The turnover rate of doctors in public hospitals has increased year-on-year in the past three years, which are 5.1%, 5.8% and 6.4% respectively. Among them, the ENT loss rate was the highest in 2018-19, recording 11.7%, followed by orthopaedics and oncology, with churn rates of 10.2% and 9.3%, respectively.
The Hong Kong government regards overseas doctors as a short-term relief. Following the Medical Council ’s approval in May of relaxing measures for overseas specialists to pass the Hong Kong Licensing Exemption from Internship Examinations, the government will propose in October to relax the training requirements for specialists. Policy Address It was mentioned that under the premise of not affecting the local doctors' opportunities to receive specialized training, it was explored to provide specialized training for new overseas doctors.
The Secretary for Food and Health, Chen Zhaoshi, said at the time that the Hong Kong Government hopes to solve the problem of insufficient medical staff in a multi-pronged manner, but because the doctors concerned must meet professional requirements, it is believed that the number will not be too large.
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Liu Zexing revealed that of the 15 colleges of the medical college, 9 colleges have agreed to recruit new overseas doctors for specialist training. (Photo by Chen Qianting)
9 college reached consensus that new overseas doctors must have passed the initial examination of the specialist
According to the current regulations of some medical colleges, overseas doctors must pass the Hong Kong Licensing Examination if they want to receive specialist training. Therefore, a limited number of registered doctors who serve in the Hospital Authority and come to Hong Kong from overseas will be “pedestrians stop”; Even if the college allows a limited number of registered doctors to receive specialist training, these doctors must meet the HA's recruitment requirements, that is, they have completed the mid-term specialist test. For the above reasons, it is difficult for overseas doctors who have just graduated from medical studies to join the development of the medical profession in Hong Kong and help alleviate the shortage of manpower. At present, if overseas specialists want to obtain Hong Kong specialty qualifications, they can apply for a "special qualification certificate for non-local doctors", which will be reviewed by the medical college. According to the medical college, as of November this year, 77 people have been certified.
Chairman of the Medical College Liu Zexing revealed in an interview this month that out of the 15 specialized colleges under the Medical College, 9 colleges have agreed to provide specialized training for new overseas doctors who have not passed the mid-term exam. School of Emergency Medicine and Family Medicine.
Two principles: ensuring the level of doctors and giving priority to local doctors
Nine colleges agreed on two principles, the first of which is to ensure the level of doctors. Doctors who want to receive specialist training must have already started overseas specialist training courses recognized by the medical college, and they must have an initial examination in the local area. Liu Zexing It is believed that this requirement can prove that the doctor is indeed interested in receiving specialist training. The medical college will also carefully check whether his previous work experience can be recognized by the medical college, thereby reducing his training period in Hong Kong.
The second principle is that doctors in Hong Kong will be given priority admission. If there are vacancies in individual colleges and doctors in Hong Kong are sufficient to fill those vacancies, doctors in Hong Kong will be invited first. If there are remaining places open to non-local doctors, Liu Zexing Refers to the desire to protect young doctors. As for the training places provided by various colleges to overseas doctors, Liu Zexing said that depending on the manpower requirements of each specialty, the Food and Health Bureau has assigned the University of Hong Kong Medical School and the Medical College to statistics and estimates. The Medical College will cooperate with government policies to provide corresponding places.
As for the remaining 6 colleges that did not reach consensus, Liu Zexing said that some colleges listed that doctors must be formally registered before training. He also said that not every college has training vacancies. In addition, the number of mentors, training facilities and diseases Whether the type is sufficient is also a factor to consider.
Liu Zexing emphasized that the training level of medical colleges is high, and overseas doctors can receive rigorous training earlier to help them stay in Hong Kong. (Photo by Chen Qianting)
Denies lowering the threshold Liu Zexing: Medical training level is high
At present, the Hospital Authority requires overseas doctors who come to work in Hong Kong to complete the mid-term specialist test. Liu Zexing emphasized that the new proposal is not a lowering of the threshold, but "the doctor may be young." He continued to point out that the benefits of the new adjustment are that it will help overseas doctors to come to Hong Kong to adapt to the environment earlier, understand the Hong Kong medical system and disease types, and receive rigorous training programs from medical colleges earlier, which will help them work in Hong Kong. He also stated that there was no compromise in the quality of the medical specialty, as the doctor also had to pass multiple examinations to qualify for the specialty.
Demonstrations in Hong Kong have been going on for more than half a year. Liu Zexing said that social events would deter doctors who wanted to return to Hong Kong. Although the impact is unknown, the medical college will try its best to attract overseas doctors to rescue them.
Liu Zexing: The Mainland is also non-local and should not be subdivided
The community has been concerned about whether the government will relax the threshold for Mainland doctors to practise in Hong Kong. Liu Zexing believes that the Mainland is a non-locally trained doctor and should not be subdivided. At present, the training period of each technical college is at least 6 years. Under the new mechanism, medical colleges may allow some overseas doctors to receive local specialized training experience and substitute them for local training, reducing their training periods. Liu Zexing said that there is currently no formal specialist training program in the Mainland, so there is currently no plan to recognize any Mainland doctors, but the specialist experience of several hospitals in the Mainland is recognized, namely the Emergency Department of the Shenzhen University Hospital, the Orthopaedics Department of the Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, and Guangzhou Surgery at Zhongshan Hospital.
The Hospital Authority said it may update the recruitment conditions for a limited number of registered doctors. (Profile picture)
HA is researching to adjust recruitment conditions for limited registered doctors
The Hospital Authority replied inquiries that it was discussing with front-line doctors which special specialties needed to introduce more non-local doctors. The HA stated that after determining the relevant details, the HA would update the recruitment conditions for limited registered doctors accordingly. An application for a limited number of registered doctors is submitted to the Medical Council for approval. As of December 1, this year, a total of 21 non-locally trained doctors have served the HA with limited registration.
The Medical Council did not respond to the views on the new arrangement of the medical college, only saying that the Medical Council approved each application for limited registration in accordance with section 14A of the Medical Registration Ordinance.
The Food and Sanitation Bureau said that it understands that the medical college and the Hospital Authority are studying the details of the relevant plans, and the Food and Sanitation Bureau is confident that the professional standards will be guaranteed. The authority also revealed that three non-locally trained doctors will be recruited in the fourth quarter of this year to the first quarter of next year. The Food and Drug Administration continued to point out that HKU's manpower projection work for specialists is expected to announce the results within 2020.
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Ma Zhongyi believes that the Hong Kong Government has not addressed the root cause of the reluctance of overseas doctors to stay in Hong Kong. (Profile picture / Photo by Luo Junhao)
Doctors union: overseas doctors do not stay in Hong Kong because of poor working conditions in public hospitals
The chairman of the Hong Kong Public Medical Doctors Association, Ma Zhongyi, bluntly stated that doctors' qualifications are relatively young and young, which is equivalent to a lower threshold. They do not agree with Liu Zexing's remarks. She went on to point out that there are many factors why overseas doctors do not come to work in Hong Kong, including the unsatisfactory life in Hong Kong, the unsatisfactory working environment and training environment of public hospitals, etc. However, officials do not eat fireworks on the earth, and wishful thinking that overseas doctors are willing to serve in the public system in Hong Kong for a long time. Ma Zhongyi said that doctors with families in Hong Kong generally prefer to stay, but other doctors may not. Officials should face the root cause.
Ma Zhongyi also said that some specialist doctors now need to "queue" for training. If surgery is limited due to the limited operating room, and depending on the number of surgeries, some doctors need to wait one year after completing basic training before accepting advanced Even if there is a shortage of manpower in the emergency department, there are too many training facilities. She believes that doctors in Hong Kong should be given sufficient training opportunities before considering relaxation.
Regarding the requirements of medical colleges to apply for doctors to pass the initial examinations for specialists, she mentioned that some European and American countries allow overseas people to apply for written examinations for specialists. Mainland doctors may use this to obtain corresponding examination results and then come to work in Hong Kong. There are also internships in some countries. The doctor is ready to take the initial examination of the specialist.
The Hong Kong Academy of Medical Sciences has a limited number of registered doctors, doctors, and public medical practitioners associations
