The government has previously announced two batches of foreign doctors' recognized medical qualifications lists, but the universities on the list are all taught in English. Some lawmakers worry that this move will undoubtedly exclude Chinese-medium universities and will not solve the looming problem of the loss of local doctors.
Tang Kam-sing, Chief Administrative Manager (Medical Grade) of the Hospital Authority, said that he believed that the Special Registration Committee would balance the consideration of the language of instruction, the number of internship hours, and teaching methods, and said that it respected its decision.
As for which colleges will make the list in the future, he said he will "wait and see".
The HA has also established a one-to-one online consultation service website since February this year for non-locally trained doctors to understand the registration process.
At present, nearly 30 to 40 people have applied to come to Hong Kong to practise medicine through special registration. Five doctors are currently eligible and will be ready to come to Hong Kong.
Tang also pointed out that the first batch of non-locally trained doctors specially registered to come to Hong Kong will start work as soon as early next year.
Tang Kam-sing (left), Chief Administrative Manager (Medical Grade) of the Hospital Authority, and Ng Fung-ki (right), Deputy Consultant of the Department of Anesthesiology, Tuen Mun Hospital.
(Photo by Su Weiran)
According to the data of the Hospital Authority, the average turnover rate of doctors in the past year has reached 8%, and the turnover rate of anesthesiology department is even 10% to 11%.
The HA is currently recruiting talents through limited registration and special registration, with a total of 44 non-local doctors serving in public hospitals.
Deng Jincheng said that he hoped that the number of graduates would double within one to two years. He also pointed out that the current special registration channel will also recruit graduates, describing that they will "bring up young adults and become a source of new forces in the future."
In order to alleviate the shortage of doctors, the authorities have not only held online seminars and set up special webpages, etc., but also focused on pilot projects and arranged online exhibitions for specialties with a high turnover rate, hoping to attract relevant talents to fill the gap.
Tang Kam-shing, Chief Administrative Manager (Medical Grade) of the Hospital Authority, said that since February this year, the authority has established a one-to-one online consultation service platform for non-locally trained doctors to understand the registration process.
At present, nearly 30 to 40 people have applied for special registration to practise medicine in Hong Kong, and five doctors are currently eligible.
(Photo by Su Weiran)
Five doctors who meet the conditions will be the first to come to Hong Kong
The HA has also established a one-to-one consultation service website for non-locally trained doctors to provide a communication channel to understand the registration process. Currently, nearly 100 doctors have expressed interest, and many of them are still in training.
Another nearly 30 to 40 people have applied to come to Hong Kong to practice medicine through special registration. Five doctors are currently eligible and will be ready to come to Hong Kong.
Deng also pointed out that since the special registration plan was launched at the beginning of this year, the first batch of specially registered doctors took half a year to a year to prepare, so they will not start work until early next year at the earliest.
Wu Fengqi, who worked as an anesthesiologist in the UK for 13 to 14 years, joined the HA in 2019 through a limited registration scheme and served as an associate consultant physician in the Department of Anesthesiology of Tuen Mun Hospital.
He pointed out that the working hours in Hong Kong are 20% longer than those in the UK, but the work pattern, workload and pace are not very different.
In addition, the equipment and medical evidence used in the two places are very similar, so they can quickly adapt to the environment after arriving in Hong Kong.
In terms of salary, although the salary in the UK is high, the tax is heavier. The actual income after tax deduction is actually nearly two-thirds less than that in Hong Kong.
Wu Fengqi, who worked as an anesthesiologist in the UK for 13 to 14 years, pointed out that the current special registration is more attractive, because the limited registration needs to be renewed every three years, and the special registration adopts the form of long-term employment, which is relatively stable.
(Photo by Su Weiran)
Wu also believes that the newly established special registration scheme is more attractive, because the limited registration needs to be renewed every three years, and the special registration adopts the form of long-term employment, which is relatively stable.
In addition, Deng Jincheng pointed out that most hospital departments have also introduced overseas doctors who are not Hong Kong permanent residents, and Cantonese is currently not a mandatory requirement for the introduction.
As long as the doctor is medically or otherwise eligible, a Zoom interview will be arranged.
For example, he pointed out that there is a brain surgeon from Princess Margaret Hospital in South Africa. He can only speak English and does not understand Cantonese at all, but he can still break in in a short time.
Deng pointed out that the head of the department will adjust the work according to his situation, and other colleagues can also help one or two.
As for the doctor exchange program in the Greater Bay Area announced earlier, Deng Jincheng pointed out that the authorities intend to recruit mainland doctors who have come to Hong Kong to fight the epidemic, and these mainland doctors generally have a positive attitude towards working in Hong Kong for a short period of time.
The authorities are in close communication with relevant domestic units and are still in the initial contact stage. If there are any new developments, they will be announced again.
+7
Councillors approve the list of overseas doctors' accreditation qualifications and reject non-English colleges. Leung Chi-hung said that it is necessary to find out the "source" of the loss of medical care in public hospitals, and to hire overseas doctors to close overseas doctors | The list of the first batch of accredited institutions will be released as soon as March next year. It is not necessary to teach in the UK