Medical treatment costs could be cut drastically thanks to locally trained engineers helping to build medical equipment across the border, a university scientist says.
Although it will take several years, they eventually could make sophisticated equipment that now has to be imported at great expense, said Daniel Chow Hung-kay, of the Polytechnic University.
Professor Chow is leader of the university's biomedical engineering programme, which took in its first students two years ago. The first batch of 17 engineers is due to graduate next year.
He said there was a strong demand for biomedical engineers from Hong Kong business that have operated factories making simple medical gear, mainly surgical needles and tubes, in the mainland for about 10 years.
'The companies told us they need biomedical engineers for quality control of their products which are now managed by a group of mechanical and electronic engineers not directly related to the biomedical field,' Professor Chow said.
He said the university was training professionals who would control the quality of the simple health products and also would help manufacture advanced medical equipment in future.