Hong Kong’s struggling public hospitals need a transfusion of doctors and nurses from overseas
Albert Cheng says Hong Kong compares poorly with other developed economies in the proportion of medical practitioners in a population, and the government must be proactive in tackling the severe shortage
The two former secretaries for health, York Chow Yat-ngok and Ko Wing-man, were both inclined towards the private medical sector. The bureau has been reluctant to allocate sufficient funding and resources to address the manpower shortage.
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To catch up to the OECD standard of 9 nurses per 1,000 population, the city needs 13,000 more nurses. The Hospital Authority hires 40 per cent of nurses in Hong Kong; in other words, the public hospitals are understaffed by 6,500 nurses.
But the nursing industry is exercising protectionism as much as the doctors. Nurses trained overseas are required to pass professional examinations to register here. However, the passing rate has sharply declined and was only 4.95 per cent in 2016. Also, if a candidate fails the exam three times, he or she cannot retake the exam before undertaking a 200-hour course. It has been very difficult to recruit new nurses to fill the gap.
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The requirements for overseas doctors to practise in Hong Kong should be thoroughly reviewed. The Medical Council should also consider cancelling the compulsory examination. To balance public and professional interests, overseas practitioners should be required to work at public hospitals for the first three years before turning to private practice.
Albert Cheng King-hon is a political commentator. [email protected]