Dr Ng said that social interaction and community spirit were necessary at a time when the world was becoming more individualistic. 'The existence of families is diminishing. We used to have clans and villages, then these scaled down to nuclear families and now even these are falling apart,' he said. 'More and more of us choose to be on our own nowadays.'

In his 20 years as a doctor, Dr Ng has seen declining interaction between doctors and patients, making his job less rewarding. Those working for big health companies and hospitals are under pressure to see more patients and hence have less time for individuals, he said.

'We no longer have the time to spend with patients to build the trust and the understanding needed for thorough diagnosis,' he said.

He laments the thinning interaction between people which he says is creating an unhappier and more stressed society. 'We are earning more money, more of us have access to health care and are therefore living for longer,' he said.

'But when you look at the output of humanity, such as music, art and literature, that's all gone downhill in recent times. In 100 years' time, when people look back at our present times, there will be a lot fewer topics that are worth talking about compared with before.'

Dr Ng's interest in medicine grew through reading the works of great doctors-turned-writers, including Scottish novelist AJ Cronin - an acclaimed storyteller, who practised medicine for a decade before devoting himself to writing.

Their life experiences and ideas inspired Dr Ng. After toying briefly with the idea of architecture, he decided to study medicine at university, graduating in 1982.

But even before reading about the likes of Cronin in secondary school, Dr Ng read whenever he could as a child. His parents were barely literate but had always encouraged their five children to read and to learn, hoping that by doing so, they would make better lives for themselves. 'It's a familiar story for my generation,' he said.

To fund his studies and to earn extra cash for the family, Dr Ng worked in many jobs from making plastic flowers, toys and wigs in factories to tutoring younger students.

Dr Ng has now also developed an interest in writing news. He graduated with a Masters in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong about a year ago. 'It's been really good for me,' he said. 'Journalism has widened my perspective and has helped to balance my opinionated character as a doctor.'

As for the future, Dr Ng says: 'I want to further apply the skills I have - from medicine, music to writing - to serve the people, starting in Sha Tin where I live.'