Clear road ahead for Hong Kong DSE students seeking HKU medical degree

I am writing in response to the article, “HKU to announce DSE exam score requirements for medical degree before students sit tests”(August 6).

I fully support the University of Hong Kong’s decision to let youngsters keen to pursue a medical degree at HKU know how much they need to score well in advance of sitting the Diploma of Secondary Education exam, as early as four months before. This will eliminate the guesswork on the part of the students regarding their chances of qualifying, and even prevent students from being reluctant to apply for fear of being rejected, as it is a highly competitive programme.

So far, the students have depended on the previous intake’s minimum score for acceptance to get an idea of their chances and apply through the JUPAS (Joint University Programmes Admissions System). Greater clarity in admission criteria could reverse the trend of low admission rates for DSE students applying via JUPAS that persists at HKU’s medical school.

I also strongly agree that the government should push to boost the number of publicly funded training places for doctors, dentists, nurses and allied professionals, to address the shortage of medical staff and Hong Kong’s ageing population further stretching the overburdened public health care sector. HKU and the Chinese University of Hong Kong increasing their respective intakes for the coming three years is a good long-term solution.

Kong Lok Son, Tseung Kwan O