In response to your editorial of July 15, headlined, 'Health care', may I share with your readers some insights on medical manpower supply and the Hospital Authority's employment of doctors.
Manpower planning for any professional group is a macro issue where the administration, training institutes, potential employers and professional bodies have to be involved. The Hospital Authority is one of the employers of graduating medical interns. Other employers include the Department of Health, the universities and the private sector; 55 per cent of doctors in Hong Kong work in the private sector. The primary responsibility of the Hospital Authority is to ensure that we have sufficient trained doctors for hospital services.
We employ doctors to fulfil our service needs. Our role in doctor manpower planning is to advise the administration on the service needs in the public hospital sector, and on the demands generated from new facilities and services to be developed to serve the needs of the community.
In assessing these needs, we take into account demographic changes, technological development, health status of the population and other relevant factors.
Our service is organised on a specialty basis and our staff are required to possess specialist qualifications and undergo specialist training. The specialist training we provide is recognised by the Academy of Medicine and we have a role in providing specialist training to doctors who wish to pursue specialist careers.
Graduating interns who are found suitable for specialist training and fulfil service needs in the Hospital Authority have been offered permanent positions in the annual recruitment exercise. In order to provide hospital-based training to serve the needs of the community, an additional number of contract positions are offered. Doctors appointed on contract terms for specialist training will have the opportunity after the first three-year contract to apply for permanent posts in hospitals or a further contract of three years to complete higher specialist training.
