Facing triple taboo in medical brain drain

Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau was right on the mark when he mentioned three factors - emigration, the social environment and the political environment - that have played a role in the brain drain hitting the medical sector.

He should be praised for mentioning these headline words that have become a taboo that others avoid talking about publicly.

But even though Lo mentioned these commonly understood, but rarely discussed factors, he shied away from discussing them at length in an interview with a local media outlet.

In that interview, he said a Hospital Authority delegation would leave for the UK soon to recruit doctors after the SAR's public health sector suffered from one of its worst brain drains in memory.

Lo said the UK visit will be the first of many tours that will include other countries and places.

The "grab" campaign comes after earlier efforts to hire overseas doctors failed miserably to get the number the authority wanted.

After key registration legislation was amended in 2021 to make it easier for overseas-trained doctors to practice in the city, Lo and his colleagues at the authority had hoped to hire 100 foreign doctors. Only 10 have been willing to come.

Instead of sitting around waiting for something to happen, it makes better sense to take the initiative.

Reaching out to countries with young Hongkongers studying medicine is a proactive strategy that deserves a thumbs up.

The UK is the most obvious choice to begin the new campaign to grab doctors. For one, it is the most popular destination for Hong Kong youngsters seeking to study medicine outside the SAR.

The Hospital Authority's plan is for its delegates, led by chief executive Tony Ko Pat-sing, to target graduating students in medical colleges, extending them offers before they secure employment in the UK's National Health Service.

The plan - concentrating on graduating students - is in itself an admission that it will be difficult to recruit experienced doctors who have moved to the UK from Hong Kong in recent years as many have left for the reasons that Lo briefly mentioned.

It may be easier to approach medical students still studying at colleges, but Ko and his authority colleagues cannot underestimate the difficulty.

The authority is prepared to offer generous pay packages to these young doctors and, understandably, this is one of the few things they can emphasize during their visits to medical schools where targeted graduating students are studying.

Ko must not underestimate the difficulty as these young adults may want something in addition to money - otherwise, some would have already chosen to study medicine in Hong Kong.

Prior to setting out on the recruitment journey, delegation members should prepare to answer this question: besides lucrative pay packages, what else can they offer - long working hours and overcrowded wards?

Inflation is high in the UK, but bear in mind that this is temporary and smart students know that.