Hong Kong-born Samson Cho, who dreamed of becoming a doctor and running a Mong Kok clinic where patients are treated for free, got his medical degree on the mainland and then specialised in sports medicine. His ambition now is to run a clinic for climbers at Mount Everest
As a secondary school student in Hong Kong, Samson Cho Sum-sing used to dream of becoming a doctor and running a clinic in Mong Kok where patients would be treated for free.
So when his academic results weren't good enough to get him into Hong Kong's highly competitive medical schools, he decided to try universities on the mainland. What he did not know was that, at the time, most mainland medical schools were still closed to overseas students.
But perseverance paid off and he ended up studying at Fujian Medical University, a tertiary institute that was not his first choice. After spending five years in Fujian , where he got a medical degree and a general practitioner's licence, he moved to Shanghai. Now, three years later, he holds a postgraduate degree in sports medicine from one of the mainland's top tertiary institutions, Fudan University, and works in one of the nation's best hospitals, Huashan. The Hong Kong-born doctor will be one of the four officers responsible for finding out if athletes participating in the Olympic events in Shanghai have taken drugs to boost performance. Shanghai will host the Games' soccer competition.
'I am probably the first Hongkonger to practise medicine in a mainland public hospital,' said Dr Cho, as he had lunch in a garden restaurant under an early spring sun. It was rare for him to have a proper lunch, let alone a relaxing, long meal, he said. 'There was an occasion when I worked non-stop in the hospital for 60 hours. From time to time, I work 40 hours non-stop,' he said.
On top of his full-time job, Dr Cho engages in freelance photography and sells household and health-care products manufactured by Amway. He also coaches and trains executives of multinational companies in cross-country running. But that's not all - he maintains a blog where he answers questions on health and medicine, especially on sports injuries.
A passion for photography and sports is his driving force. 'I love all kinds of sports. You name it, I can play it. I'm particularly keen on cross-country running and mountaineering.'