The two medical teaching universities have issued broad guidelines they hope will guarantee appropriate working hours for intern doctors.
The guidelines need the Hospital Authority's endorsement but the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, Professor Grace Tang Wai-king, said the authority was discussing them.
'As teaching institutes for doctors, we are highly concerned about the long working hours of intern doctors.
'We will definitely follow up on the issue,' Professor Tang said yesterday.
Speaking after a ceremony to mark the founding of an association to boost Asian medical education, she said the guidelines were expected to take effect by July.
They also aim to guarantee sufficient training time for the doctors, she said.
The guidelines do not include specific recommendations on how many hours a doctor should work and be trained, which largely depend on individual cases, she said.