Dean laments brain drain

The dean of Chinese University’s medical school is lamenting a brain drain caused by immigration after a colleague he worked with for 27 years left Hong Kong for the United Kingdom.

In a post on the school’s website, Francis Chan Ka-leung attributed many of the successes of his team’s gastroenterology research – many recognized internationally – to the unnamed colleague.

“She joined our research team once she graduated from university,” he wrote.“Starting as a newbie nurse, she has become a chief heading international scientific collaborations.”

Chan highlighted the difficulties of finding medical professionals who specialize in clinical research sharing the same skills and perseverance.

“From designing a research to finding suitable participants and analysis of statistics, a project takes five to 10 years to finish.

These talents are difficult to find, not only in Hong Kong but universities around the world,” he said.

Chan asked his colleague if she is moving to Britain due to good salaries or conditions offered by universities there. But she said:

“Professor Chan, I have yet to find a job. I just want to move to a new environment with my family. I will start finding a job when I am settled there.”

There has been a rise in the number of applications for certificates of no criminal conviction – a document required for immigration abroad.

Police figures show the force received 15,707 applications in the first five months of the year. The force received 3,923 applications in May, the highest monthly record in three years.