Dental regulator seeks meeting with University of Hong Kong students to clear air over mandatory internship proposal
- Hong Kong’s Dental Council also comes under fire from lawmakers for failing to address perceived weaknesses in HKU dental school’s curriculum for 10 years
- Authorities earlier cited concerns from regulators over whether students have enough experience to intern at public institutions for one year before registering as dentists
Hong Kong’s dental regulator has called for a meeting with aspiring dentists at the city’s oldest university, a day after the latter raised concerns about a lack of communication concerning a proposal requiring them to intern at public institutions.
Dr Lee Kin-man, chairman of the Dental Council, also came under fire at a Legislative Council bills committee meeting on Friday for failing to address perceived weaknesses in the curriculum provided by the city’s sole dental school, located at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), for 10 years.
The government has proposed amending legislation to require the school’s graduates to intern at public institutions for a year before they can register as dentists.
Health authorities on Tuesday noted the council had previously expressed concerns about the lack of clinical experience among local dental students.
Addressing the concerns, Lee said: “When the government issued its press release, the urgency of the matter had already reached its peak, so I proactively wrote to the University of Hong Kong to demand a meeting with its students.
“I hope this exchange with the students can be done as soon as possible, so we can offer an in-depth explanation.”