'HK Doctors Will Have Little Say Under Govt Plan'

The president of the Public Doctors' Association, Arisina Ma, says she’s concerned the government will have too much sway over the selection of non-locally trained doctors under a new plan, and frontline medics will have little say on the matter.

A 10-member committee is to be established to choose up to 100 overseas medical schools to be recognised by Hong Kong. Permanent residents who graduate from these schools will be able to work at public medical institutions in the territory.

The committee will be comprised of the heads of the Hospital Authority, the Medical Council, the SAR's two medical schools and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, along with the director of health and four members appointed by the chief executive.

But Ma said authorities have not provided any details about how the committee will select the schools to be recognised, and there are concerns about whether the committee members will maintain their professionalism.

“Maybe individual members still consider the problem from the professional or academic point of view. But I’m sorry to say that even if they make their considerations based on their professional aspect, most Hong Kong people still think this is a politically driven committee and their decisions will be politically driven.”

Ma said the committee members, including those appointed by the chief executive, are likely to support the government, and the chairperson – who will be chosen by the CE – will have a casting vote.

Ma said this arrangement will leave frontline doctors with little say over the decisions made.

“I don’t think our opinion will be included,” she said. “We have been invited to meet Food and Health Bureau officials twice from February to now. We have raised many concerns. We have given some suggestions which have not been included in the new bill presented yesterday.”

Under the plan, qualified doctors from outside Hong Kong will not be required to pass any local professional exams to practise in the SAR.

Ma said she believes the new committee won’t be able to act as a gatekeeper, as it will only be tasked with selecting a list of qualified schools rather than screening individual applicants.

She said the job of monitoring the standards of non-locally-trained doctors will be left to their future employers, including the Hospital Authority, the universities, and the Department of Health, but it’s unclear what assessments they will make to ensure the quality of doctors.

Meanwhile, Tim Pang, a patients’ rights advocate from the Society for Community Organisation, said he believes increasing the supply of doctors is key to reducing long waiting times at public hospitals.

He said the government’s proposal will not lead to a flood of non-locally trained doctors moving to work in the territory, adding that recognising around 100 overseas medical schools is a reasonable number.

But Pang said he is worried that the arrangement fails to include outstanding doctors who graduate from other medical schools.

He also said the scheme might not be attractive enough for non-specialist doctors, who would have to work at a public medical institution for another five years after completing six years of specialist training there, before they could work in the private sector.