Hong Kong must explain how proposal to require new dentists to work in public sector for 3 years will benefit residents, medical sector lawmaker says
- Authorities have proposed extending dental services to more residents but have not provided any details, medical sector lawmaker Dr David Lam says
- Under proposal, students need to undergo one-year internship at public health clinics and stay there for another two years after they register as dentists
Hong Kong must explain how a proposal to require dental graduates to work at public institutions for three years will benefit residents, the medical and health services sector lawmaker has said, after authorities sought industry consensus during a consultation.
The Hong Kong Dental Association on Friday said the government consultation, revealed by the industry earlier this week, had sparked concern among dental students.
Currently, students are required to finish six years of academic training, which includes clinical sessions. Under the government’s proposal, they will have to undergo a one-year internship at a designated public health clinic before they can register as dentists and then stay there for another two years.
Medical and health services sector lawmaker Dr David Lam Tzit-yuen urged authorities to explain how the proposal would improve dental services, as existing care at public clinics largely benefited civil servants.
“Hong Kong’s public dental services mainly cater to civil servants and very limited service is for the public in emergency cases … the government is now asking more dentists to join the civil service, but they will be here to mainly serve civil servants. It is just unfair,” Lam said.
President of the Hong Kong Dental Association Dr Nelson Wong Chi-wai said students were not given advance notice of the proposal, adding it would cause them concern.
“Dentistry is a professional subject which has a very high entry requirement, and students would have had a lot of choices if they had not chosen this subject … they could have chosen medicine which only requires seven years,” Wong said on a radio programme. “The decision is a lifelong one as almost all graduates become dentists.”
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Hong Kong had 2,789 practising dentists as of January, or 3.8 per 10,000 people, similar to Singapore which has four per 10,000 people, but fewer than Japan, Germany and Norway, which have eight, 8.6 and 8.7 per 10,000 people, respectively.
About 316 dentists in Hong Kong work in public clinics, which provide check-ups for primary schoolchildren and elderly residents with health vouchers.
Public dental health services do not cover secondary school students, while elderly residents queuing overnight for appointments is a common sight in the city.
Lam said authorities should provide a concrete plan for the dental industry, adding the government had proposed extending dental services to more residents but had not provided any details.
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“[The plan] should state when additional dental facilities will be built, how much manpower will be needed, and whether the dental service will be extended to secondary school students,” he said.
Lam added authorities would be “putting the cart before the horse” as more dentists would be serving government employees without further improvements to service for the wider community.
Authorities set up the Working Group on Oral Health and Dental Care in December to follow up on Lee’s proposal.
The group has been tasked with reviewing the scope of public dental services, including providing more targeted care for underprivileged groups and high-risk patients. It will also come up with a long-term strategy to secure more workers and coordinate service programmes.
The group, which convened its first meeting last month, is led by Permanent Secretary for Health Thomas Chan Chung-ching. Members come from healthcare institutions, NGOs and patient groups.
