The General Assembly of the Legislative Council resumed this morning (21st). There are more than a week remaining in the current session. A number of bills are still pending before the end, including the "Doctor Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021" for the introduction of overseas doctors, and a total ban The "Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019" for heating cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, etc.
The latest third reading of the Legislative Council passed the "Doctor Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021", which will provide an alternative path for exemption in addition to the existing practice test arrangements.
After the amendment, a special registration committee will be set up to formulate a list of approved overseas medical schools. Hong Kong medical graduates who graduated from these institutions can come to Hong Kong through an examination-free route, and will be specially registered after 5 years of internship in public hospitals. The new arrangement will be only then Will be implemented.
Exemption registration also accepts qualified non-locally trained specialist doctors; limited registered doctors who have come to Hong Kong and have specialist qualifications can also obtain special registration.
"Hong Kong 01" continues to update the focus of the meeting.
Two Members' amendments were rejected. Chen Peiran voted against and passed the next third reading
[14:00] At the stage of the whole committee, the New Democrat Party Ye Liu Shuyi expressed that he did not support Chen Peiran's amendment, and he also believed that Shao Jiahui's amendment was of good intentions, but it was unnecessary.
In his concluding remarks on the amendment, Chen Zhaoshi clarified that non-local trained doctors with limited registration who have worked in designated institutions for 5 years and hold the accreditation or awarding qualifications of the Hong Kong Medical College do not need to wait for the establishment of the special registration committee. The first batch can be connected to the special registration route as soon as next year.
After Chen Zhaoshi moved the first group of amendments with 36 votes in favor and 4 votes against it, the amendments that contradicted Shao Jiahui's content were directly rejected.
The second set of amendments after the government was also passed, while the amendment proposed by Chen Peiran was rejected with 2 votes in favor and 38 votes against it. One of the votes was for the DAB Liu Guoxun's wrong vote.
After the bill was read and voted on the third reading, Chen Peiran reiterated that the goal of the amendment was to prevent the government from politically affecting the Special Registration Committee. He emphasized that doctors should follow the Geneva Declaration and practice medicine with conscience and professionalism, taking life and health as the main considerations, and hope that there will be no more discrediting.
He also pointed out that there is no opposition in the parliament and that it is easy to pass the bill. He will vote against it based on the industry survey results.
The motion was finally passed the third reading with 39 votes in favor and 1 vote against.
[12:30] The bill was passed on its second reading at about 12:30 noon. After that, the Legislative Council entered the full committee stage to review the amendments by the government, the Liberal Party Shao Jiahui and Chen Peiran.
When Chen Zhaoshi introduced the government’s amendments, he mentioned that the government has made three major amendments in response to the discussions of the Bills Committee: The first is to adjust the original requirements for permanent residents, because he believes that the proposal will limit the number of doctors in Hong Kong and make them eligible. All non-locally trained specialists can apply for registration; the second aspect is that specialist graduates who have not internships in other places can take the Hong Kong Qualification Examination. It is recommended that medical graduates who are permanent residents of Hong Kong can take the examination, but because it involves local resource training Therefore, only permanent residents of Hong Kong are allowed to apply. After obtaining special registration, they can receive specialist training in Hong Kong. After five years of employment in the public sector, they will have the opportunity to formally register. The third is to allow limited registered doctors with specialists to obtain special registration. qualifications.
She later responded to Chen Peiran's amendment, stating that the amendment aimed to delete the Secretary for Food and Health Bureau's directive to the Special Registration Board in the public interest, but said that there would be no change to the list.
For example, she pointed out that if the committee fails to make a list within a certain period of time, the director can issue an order to make the list within a certain period of time.
Chen responded to Shao Jiahui's amendment and expressed his opposition to his amendment.
The amendment exempts overseas doctors from being Hong Kong permanent residents
[12:12] The Secretary for Food and Health, Chen Zhaoshi, said that all sectors of the community have the same expectations for increasing the number of doctors. It is believed that the passage of the draft will help attract non-locally trained doctors to serve in Hong Kong.
She explained that the shortage of doctors will worsen in the future. The authorities have actively allocated additional resources and are considering increasing the number of local medical students in order to increase the number of doctors overseas.
She mentioned that non-local doctors were once an important source of doctors in Hong Kong. Until the new requirements in Hong Kong, the number of doctors applying for non-local training in Hong Kong dropped sharply. Therefore, this time an amendment is introduced in the hope of increasing the doctor's manpower.
Chen Zhaoshi mentioned that many members of the Bills Committee believed that the newly added registered doctors should not be restricted to Hong Kong permanent residents, and the authorities also decided to follow goodwill, so they decided to propose amendments.
As for some members who questioned that the amendment would undermine professional autonomy, she said that the Basic Law stated that the SAR government could deal with it by amending the law on its own, and believed that the two are not in conflict.
The new path of special registration allows non-local registered doctors to receive continuous on-the-job evaluation and is supervised by the Medical Council. It emphasizes that the bill does not compromise the power of the Medical Council. Singapore and Australia have different mechanisms to introduce non-locally trained doctors, emphasizing that examinations are not These countries introduce the only way to train doctors overseas, and point out that the new way is not intended to replace the practice exam.
[11:15] The New Democrat Party Ye Liu Shuyi mentioned in her speech that the practice test is too strict and the content of criticism is difficult, including the assessment of pediatric cases that are rare in ten years, and the deduction system is adopted, and the test quota is too small. When overseas doctors come to Hong Kong, the HA has to improve its management.
Tian Beichen pointed out that he has always been concerned about the shortage of doctors and agrees with most of the reasons for the amendment. However, he believes that the time for limited registered doctors to obtain special registration after 5 years is too short, and that it is necessary to keep doctors in the public medical system. Long.
He suggested increasing the required period to 8 years, emphasizing that he does not want to prevent foreign doctors from coming to Hong Kong, but wants to keep them in public institutions. He believes that it will not reduce the attractiveness of the plan. On the contrary, the environment, working hours and policies of public hospitals This is the main reason why overseas doctors refuse to return to Hong Kong.
Tian emphasized that his overall situation is important, so he will support this amendment and the government's amendment.
Zhang Yuren says Commonwealth doctors do not need to take examinations before coming to Hong Kong
[11:10] Zhang Yuren from the Liberal Party reiterated that the ratio of the number of doctors to population in Hong Kong is lower than that of many places, and the "14th Five-Year Plan" expects 3.2 doctors per 1,000 people in 2025. He mentioned that the number of doctors in Hong Kong cannot keep up with the mainland. And international.
Regarding the medical profession’s emphasis on the need to ensure professional standards through examinations, Zhang Yuren pointed out that before 1995, Commonwealth doctors never had to take examinations to practise in Hong Kong. At that time, no one questioned them. He thought that examinations were "medical and medical care" and criticized that examinations involve too many different areas. Ask a doctor who is between 40 and 50 years old how to take the exam, criticizing and considering does not help improve his professionalism, but is difficult for others.
Zhang Yuren said that in 1995, Leung Che-hung, a member of the Legislative Council of the medical profession, introduced a law requiring that, except for the graduates of the two universities and medical schools, all doctors must take a practising examination before they can come to Hong Kong to practise. This disguised a shortage of doctors, and private doctors made money later. .
He emphasized that he believes that there has been a voice in the community to attract overseas doctors to Hong Kong, and believes that government amendments can only attract dozens of people to Hong Kong every year. Therefore, the Liberal Party proposed an amendment.
Zhang Yuren.
(Photo by Liao Yanxiong)
Chen Peiran emphasized that there is no problem in the exam and the medical standard is declining
[10:40] Chen Peiran from the medical profession said that the government introduced amendments to the regulations when medical staff were busy dealing with the epidemic this year. The doubt was a political decision and had nothing to do with the epidemic. The practice did not hesitate to undermine the fair examination system that Hong Kong people insisted on and crack down on professional autonomy.
He pointed out that the medical profession has raised a number of questions about the amendment and requested that the amendment be suspended. However, in the political reality of today's parliament, he is like a man's arm blocking a car, but he still insists on proposing amendments to delete the new powers authorized by the Secretary for Food and Health. If it is deemed necessary for the public interest, an order shall be issued to the special registration committee responsible for formulating and recognizing the list of overseas medical schools to prevent officials from overriding the committee.
Chen Peiran emphasized that the practice examination system exists in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
As for whether the exam is too difficult, he cited statistics that out of 190 candidates from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia, about 53% passed, while only 17% of the 443 candidates from the Mainland passed. The Belt and Road countries Only 15% of the candidates passed; because 60% of the candidates are from the Mainland, the overall pass rate is naturally very low.
The qualification test is divided into professional knowledge test, English skills test and clinical test.
Chen explained that there were 162 Western participants in the clinical trial, with a pass rate of 51.9%; 178 people from the mainland took the exam, with a pass rate of 33.7%; and the Belt and Road countries had a pass rate of 50%.
As for the English test, the pass rate of Western countries is 100%, while the pass rate of candidates from mainland China and Taiwan is 52% to 100%.
He emphasized that the qualification test is not a life-and-death test. It can take up to 5 tests. As long as you pass the test twice or three times, Hong Kong doctors also have to take two or three tests in the UK. However, no one criticized others for being too difficult to take the test. Other people's protectionism, but study, study and take exams.
He mentioned that the doctors who passed the qualification test were interviewed and emphasized the importance. Some doctors returned after practicing medicine in Australia, reflecting that local medical students would learn the symptoms of common local diseases in the early stages of teaching. At the same time, common liver cancer and nasal rouge cancer in Hong Kong are found in Australia. Will not go deep into teaching.
He emphasized that the medical profession is not worried about being robbed of jobs, but about how to maintain medical standards. It is a pity that the amendments are introduced under the spirit of the government's "will of the chief executive." The examination system.
[10:10] Chen Jianbo, a member of the insurance industry, pointed out that there is a serious shortage of doctors in Hong Kong. By 2040, there are still 2,000 doctors. He mentioned that the government proposes to amend the law, not only daring to do it, but also working hard to solve the pain points, which is quite supportive.
He mentioned that the medical profession opposes the amendment and questioned the relevant claims, which made the public think that it was only protecting the interests of the industry and ignoring the needs of the public, which was quite disappointing.
He also criticized that the Hospital Authority has become a "white tower" and misallocation of operating resources. Therefore, in addition to increasing manpower, it is necessary to improve the entire medical system.
[09:50] According to Pakatan Harapan Liang Meifen, a media person recently passed away during Typhoon Jiang Xun, saying that he had been waiting for a doctor to see a doctor for a long time before his death. It was 12 hours for the first time and 24 hours for the second time. To pay attention to, refers to the incident that has caused social concern.
She also mentioned that Li Xizuan died of new coronary pneumonia in December last year. The unpleasant experience of seeking a doctor made him lose confidence. As a result, Li and her husband had a fever at that time and they dared not go to a public hospital. Instead, they went to a medical center. Notifying her of the delay in the test results made her question the medical system.
Leung Mei-fen mentioned that he knows many doctors and friends who are benevolent. They still choose to stay because they are worried about the lack of doctors in public hospitals.
She mentioned that many legislators put forward the argument that "medicine and medical care are guarded." She mentioned that the legal profession has undergone the process of opening up to overseas talents to come to Hong Kong. It is hoped that young friends in the medical profession will also have this aspiration.
[09:30] The business sector (second) Liao Changjiang said that although he would like to see colleagues' suggestions that might attract overseas doctors, he believed that the relevant approach was complicated and the number of overseas doctors that could be attracted was not large, so he could not support it.
He mentioned that the practice this time referred to Singapore. Some people questioned that most of them were appointed by the government. They were worried about the introduction of mainland doctors. Liao further explained that only 4 of the 103 approved by Singapore were from the mainland. He considered factors such as college rankings. Check regularly.
Liao Zhi will not naively believe that the problem can be solved easily. He has to take a multi-pronged approach, increase attractiveness, strengthen local training staff, and study the recruitment of retired doctors, and reiterate his support for the bill and the amendment proposed by the government.
[09:10] The second reading of the "Doctor Registration Amendment Bill" was resumed. In his report, the Chairman of the Bills Committee, Ge Peifan, mentioned that the government made three main recommendations: 1. Relax the requirements for Hong Kong permanent residents to allow holders of recognized medical qualifications and Non-permanent residents who are recognized or granted specialist qualifications by the Hong Kong Medical College can apply for special registration; 2. Hong Kong residents who hold non-local training with recognized qualifications can participate in the professional qualification examination regardless of whether the medical training has an internship period; 3. Provide arrangements for the conversion from limited registration to special registration, and limited registered doctors who have worked for at least five years can obtain special registration after obtaining resources.
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