Hong Kong – Hospital Authority welcomes proposed changes to Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) welcomed the approval of the changes to the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021 by the Executive Council today (August 31) so as to cast the net of the special registration regime wider to attract more qualified non-locally trained doctors to serve in Hong Kong.
 
     The HA spokesperson said, “The changes have addressed the concerns of some members of the Bills Committee and patient groups and enable the special registration programme to attract more qualified non-locally trained doctors to join the local public healthcare system to meet the service demand and alleviate the pressure of frontline manpower shortage.
 
     “The HA is currently facing a shortage in specialists. Admitting non-locally trained doctors with specialist qualifications recognised or awarded by the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) can help alleviate the doctor manpower shortage problem. The non-locally trained specialists may also assist in training local specialists and support specialist training.”
 
     Furthermore, in view of the problems encountered by some non-locally trained medical graduates in securing internship opportunities in their places of studies or other places, the HA welcomed the Government’s proposal to enable non-locally trained medical graduates who are Hong Kong permanent residents and possess the recognised medical qualifications to be eligible to take the Licensing Examination in Hong Kong, irrespective of whether a period of internship is inclusive in their medical training.
 
     “The HA will continue to collaborate with the HKAM to provide specialist training to these non-locally trained doctors when working in Hong Kong, while the HA will continue to provide sufficient employment and specialist training opportunities to all qualified local medical graduates.”
 
     The HA spokesperson added that the sustainability of public healthcare services has always been the HA’s prime concern. The HA welcomes any suggestions on increasing healthcare manpower and will continue to assess the qualification and experience of non-locally trained doctors according to the prevailing mechanism to safeguard the quality and standard of healthcare services. The HA will also continue to implement various measures to increase and retain medical manpower, including the recruitment of full-time and part-time healthcare workers, recruitment of non-locally trained doctors to work in public hospitals under limited registration, increasing promotion and training opportunities, and continuing the Special Retired and Rehire Scheme to meet service demand and alleviate frontline pressure.