Mainland medical schools excluded in HK's new exam exemption for overseas doctors

No Mainland medical graduates will be allowed to practice in Hong Kong without passing a local licensing exam, as a government committee on Wednesday drew up a list of locally recognized medical schools around the world.

The news came as authorities announced the first batch of recognized medical qualifications under the Medical Registration Ordinance, with no medical schools from the Mainland included in the 27 institutions on the list.

Doctors who graduated from institutions on the list and are licensed to practice abroad will be allowed to skip Hong Kong’s local licensing exam, provided they agree to work in the public healthcare system for five years.

The 27 recognized medical qualifications were from institutions in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (Click here for the full list)

Meanwhile, the Special Registration Committee said it is pressing ahead with the assessment of other non-local medical programs with a view to submitting the remaining medical qualifications to be recognized in batches as soon as possible.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee thanked committee members for their hard work in the past few months, adding that she is confident the committee will continue to discharge its statutory duties effectively and complete the task of determining the full list within this year.

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