Hands off line on docs from overseas

Authorities will not become involved in compiling a list of overseas medical schools from where Hong Kong graduates will be able to return to the SAR to practice, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siuchee said.

A 10-strong panel will decide on the list of less than 100 medical institutions, and Chan said she for one will not take part in the process.

In a post aimed at clearing misunderstandings on the administration’s proposed Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021, Chan said she will just urge panel members to hurry if they are slow in making decisions.

The panel will consist of the chairman of the Medical Council, the deans of medical schools at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University, and representatives from the Department of Health, the Hospital Authority and the Academy of Medicine. And four more will be appointed by the chief executive.

In response to criticism that the new bill could undercut the Medical Council’s statutory power to regulate doctors’ registrations, Chan noted that the council chairman and not more than three members will be on the panel.

“I must stress that non-locally trained doctors must still be registered at the council and be overseen by the council – like all the other local doctors,” she said.

The proposed bill will require foreigntrained doctors who are SAR residents to work full time for one of the four public health-care institutions – the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health and the two medical schools – for five years after obtaining specialist qualifications.

Unlike the existing policy, overseas doctors will no longer be required to pass a licensing exam before they turn to private practice. The bill will allow them to skip the exam as long as they are rated satisfactory during their service at public organizations.

But doctors’ groups have voiced concerns over assessment of the doctors’ capabilities without an exam.

On that, Chan said many countries, including Singapore and Australia, have similar mechanisms to grant full licenses to non-locally trained doctors.

“The government does not wish to replace the current licensing exam system but to create a new path to let qualified, foreign-trained doctors serve in the public medical system, given they are ensured to be up to standard,” she said.

And the format of the on-thejob assessment will be discussed among authorities and the four institutions.

Chan said the requirement for full registration of foreign-trained doctors is tougher than for graduates of local medical schools, who are automatically granted registration after completing an internship at a public institution.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Chief Secretary for Administration Matthew Cheung Kin-chung also called in their blogs for public support for the bill.

They said manpower at the public medical system is tight, with a current shortage of 710 doctors and estimates the shortage will be 1,949 in 2040, so the bill is a solution to ease the staffing problem in the long run.