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Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Selina Chow and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (December 12):
Question:
All medical graduates who wish to register as medical practitioners with the Medical Council of Hong Kong, with the exception of graduates of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, are required to pass the Council's Licensing Examination. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of candidates who sat for the above Licensing Examination in the past three years, and among them, the respective numbers of the following four types of candidates and their passing rates:
(i) medical graduates of overseas universities returning to Hong Kong;
(ii) medical graduates of mainland universities returning to Hong Kong;
(iii) overseas qualified doctors; and
(iv) mainland qualified doctors;
(b) in the past three years, of the main countries from which the two types of candidates referred to in (i) and (iii) above obtained their medical degrees, and the passing rates of candidates from those countries; and
(c) whether the authorities will review the existing policy on the licensing examination system for doctors to allow more non-locally trained outstanding doctors to practise in Hong Kong, so as to help develop Hong Kong into a medical tourism centre in the Asia-Pacific region?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Medical Council of Hong Kong (Medical Council) is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Medical Registration Ordinance. Under the principle of professional autonomy, it is within the purview of the Medical Council to determine and assess the qualifications of applicants for registration as medical practitioners. According to the Medical Registration Ordinance, with the exception of graduates of the two local faculties of medicine (i.e. the faculties of medicine of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong), all medical graduates regardless of where they received their medical training are required to pass the Medical Council's Licensing Examination and successfully complete a 12-month internship training in Hong Kong before they can register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong. Candidates may apply for exemptions from any part of the Licensing Examination or part of the internship training. The Exemptions Sub-Committee under the Licentiate Committee of the Medical Council will consider individual applications on its merits, and according to the established and open guidelines. For instance, a candidate who has satisfactorily completed his internship training in a hospital outside Hong Kong accredited by the Medical Council, or holds a specialist qualification in a particular discipline comparable to a Fellowship of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, may apply for exemption from the internship training in that discipline. Besides, if a candidate has at least ten years of overseas post-registration experience, is an internationally renowned medical practitioner with outstanding qualities, and has not failed in the relevant part of the Licensing Examination, he may apply for exemption from the Examination in Professional Knowledge and the Clinical Examination. My reply to various parts of the question is as follows:
(a) & (b) The Licensing Examination is held annually by the Medical Council and it consists of three parts: Part I - Examination in Professional Knowledge; Part II - Proficiency Test in Medical English; and Part III - Clinical Examination. If a candidate has taken any part of the Licensing Examination five consecutive times and failed each time, the Medical Council may prohibit him from taking the Licensing Examination again. Besides, a pass in Part I - Examination in Professional Knowledge will be valid for five years. Candidates may choose to take and complete all parts of the Licensing Examination within the same year or sit the remaining parts of the Licensing Examination within the five-year validity period of the pass in Part I. The Medical Council has not maintained records of the number of candidates who were medical graduates returning to Hong Kong from other places. Such information as the number of candidates who sat the various parts of the Licensing Examination, the passing rates, and whether the candidates held registration status to practise as a medical practitioner outside Hong Kong in the past three years are set out in Annex I, II and III to this reply.
(c) Under the Medical Registration Ordinance, the Medical Council will recommend and review regularly the standard and structure of undergraduate medical education and medical training provided by the two faculties of medicine in Hong Kong. The Licensing Examination of the Medical Council aims to ensure that those who wish to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong after receiving medical training outside Hong Kong have attained a professional standard comparable to that of local medical undergraduates, so as to safeguard the quality of our medical services and hence public health. Therefore, the Medical Council will ensure that the standard of the Licensing Examination is consistent with that adopted by the two faculties of medicine in Hong Kong for assessing their medical graduates. Besides, the Medical Council will invite overseas experts to participate in the assessment of candidates for the Clinical Examination. As the statutory body responsible for the registration of medical practitioners, the Medical Council will, within the purview of its professional autonomy, formulate the appropriate arrangements for medical practitioners registration. While the Administration certainly hopes that the supply of medical personnel is sufficient in Hong Kong, we have to ensure the professional standard of medical practitioners in order to provide the public with reliable and professional medical services.
Ends/Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:20
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