1,000 overseas Hong Kong medical students could intern in city under new proposal, government says
- Government reveals for first time numbers it hopes to attract under proposed changes to medical registration
- Officials say approach is needed to compete for best doctors in a globalised world
More than 1,000 Hong Kong medical students educated overseas would be allowed to intern in the city under proposed changes to medical registration, the government has revealed.
Permanent Secretary for Health Thomas Chan Chung-ching gave the figure on Wednesday, the first time officials have indicated the number of people they hope to attract.
Chan said the changes were needed to compete for medical talent in a globalised world.
“There’s a need for the city to establish this mechanism to compete for more doctors from around the world in the long run,” he said, stressing the government would prioritise local graduates for training places.
The amendments to the Medical Registration Ordinance, proposed in February, at first only centred on allowing permanent residents who had graduated from a recognised medical school and were already registered to practise outside Hong Kong to skip the local licensing exam.
