It is true that exploitation of junior doctors is international.
In the late 1970s when I was a junior doctor in Britain, we had to work almost the same number of hours as junior doctors in Hong Kong do today. When the public was made aware of such immoral employment contracts, all in the name of training, the government decided to pay for overtime.
They decided to pay one-third of normal pay whenever a junior doctor was called to attend an emergency during 'unsocial hours'. At that time, the wages of junior doctors were nearly equivalent to those of ward sisters who were paid one and a quarter times for overtime! The British health service employs thousands of junior doctors and saves hundreds of millions by such practice.
Junior doctors continue to carry on such 'Herculean work' because: 1. It provides them opportunity for knowledge and experience.
2. They need good references from their seniors. Any future progress depends on such references. To work long hours without complaint is a traditional requirement while training.
When a tired doctor makes a mistake it makes for interesting headlines in newspapers which often lack any understanding of the depth of the problem.