New Plan Expected To Only Attract About 30 Doctors

The president of the Medical Association says more needs to be done to attract overseas-trained doctors to Hong Kong. Despite the Medical Council approving more lenient requirements, Dr Ho Chung-ping estimates it'll attract around only 30 doctors in the first year.

"If you come back to Hong Kong, the salary is not bad. I have to say the salary is good - and the tax is not high. This is the good thing," he said. "But the bad thing is that we now have a very acute housing problem so, if you come back to Hong Kong, you probably cannot rent a house like what you had abroad. So there are lots of problems for them to consider."

Ho said he wasn't very hopeful of getting doctors to come back but he described the move as a start. Many of the doctors likely to be attracted to the plan will have done their secondary education in Hong Kong but will have qualified overseas.

Under the proposal, overseas specialists can get a full licence as long as they’ve worked in the public sector or medical schools for three years, and passed the licensing exam.

A requirement for them to complete an internship will be removed.

The issue has proved controversial, with lawmakers from both sides of the political divide seeking to wrest control from the Medical Council, after last month it rejected all options to make it easier for foreign doctors to work in the SAR despite a staffing crisis in public hospitals.