Obstetricians leaving Hong Kong public hospitals for private sector in droves, with 1 in 10 making switch last year alone
Mass exodus of senior doctors from public hospitals in last fiscal year, partly because of a wave of job vacancies in private sector hospitals
Public hospitals have seen an unusually large exodus of obstetricians, especially senior ones, in the past two years despite growing demand for maternity services, Hospital Authority data shows.
Last year’s turnover rate for obstetricians was more than 10 per cent – more than double the general turnover rate of 4.4 per cent of doctors in public hospitals.
Senior medical officers and associate consultants left in greater numbers than lower grades. From December 2014 to November 30 last year, 14.3 per cent of those doctors left. The year 2014-2015 saw a dramatic rise of exodus for obstetricians, who specialise in pregnancy and birth.That year 17 per cent left the sector, up from 1.9 per cent in the previous year.
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Consultants also had a turnover rate at 8 per cent last year, a rise from 5.3 per cent in 2014-2015.
And while the turnover rate of resident doctors was 8.8 per cent last year, that figure has drastically soared from 0.8 per cent in 2011-2012.
Dr Cheung Tak-hong, chief of obstetrics and gynaecology at Prince of Wales Hospital, said the loss of public doctors in 2014/2015 was due to an increase of job vacancies in private hospitals.
“There is always negative impact [to public hospital]. The problem won’t be solved even if you give me two new doctors,” said Cheung.
The exodus came as demand for maternity services has risen steadily over the past five years. The number of patients attending antenatal specialist outpatient services reached over 335,000 in 2014-2015, up from around 319,000 in 2011-2012.
The number of patients attending gynaecology inpatient and outpatient services also grew.
But there have been fewer doctors going into public sector obstetrics and gynaecology in the public sector. While there were 21 recruited in 2011-12, that number dropped to 14 in the last fiscal year.
“There are fewer people but the service could not be reduced ... the quality of service might be affected,” Cheung said, adding that time given to each patient might be less.
Another public sector obstetrician, who declined to be named, said patients might have to wait longer for treatment.
He said: “The working environment has not changed much for us ... but patients for non-urgent services might have to wait longer.”
The public sector relies on 189 full-time obstetricians. Last year, each on average handled 207 deliveries and 3,319 patients in outpatient services. The authority tried to solve the shortage by recruiting part-time doctors. By the end of November, 344 part-time doctors, including 25 in gynaecology, were working in different specialities in public hospitals.
