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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
At the first meeting of the Hospital Authority (HA) Task Force of Limited Registration Scheme (membership list is attached) today (September 21), members reviewed the 160 applications from non-local doctors. Among them, 29 were assessed to be eligible for further processing to address the acute manpower shortage in certain specialties of public hospitals, particularly in Medicine, Anaesthesia and Accident and Emergency. While some of the applicants have been confirmed as not eligible, around 30 applications require further assessment of their specialist qualifications.
Although this is not the first time that non-local doctors are recruited by HA under limited registration, the setting up of this Task Force by HA is of vital importance for scrutinising the qualifications and eligibility of the applicants in this overseas recruitment exercise.
HA Chief Executive Dr Leung Pak-yin, who chaired the Task Force, expressed appreciation to the professional inputs and contribution of members that include the Deans of the two medical schools, President of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, as well as representatives of the Medical Services Development and Human Resources Committees under the HA Board at the first meeting.
"The shortfall in medical staff in certain clinical departments is going to last for the next few years as the number of graduating medical students will fall short of the vacancies in public hospitals due to turnover and retirement," said Dr Leung.
"We will need various recruitment initiatives in addition to the retaining measures to ensure sufficient manpower in meeting the increasing service demand as well as upholding service quality and standard of public hospitals."
The specialist qualifications and experience of some of the 29 applicants, who are assessed as eligible today, have earlier been screened by the specialty panels, comprising Chairmen and Training Subcommittee Chairmen of the Central Co-ordinating Committees of the respective specialties in Medicine, Anaesthesia and Accident and Emergency.
According to the current schedule, HA will proceed with submitting the first batch of applications to the Medical Council of Hong Kong for approval before the end of the year.
Alongside the recruitment of non-local doctors, HA will also advertise to recruit both full-time and part-time local doctors.
Beginning in January this year, HA has enhanced the employment package for part-time doctors in the specialty of Obstetric and Gynaecology, which has faced serious staff turnover. The enhanced package has been extended to other specialties in late June, targeting at public doctors who have recently resigned or retired from HA, hence, are relatively familiar with the systems and practices in public hospitals.
As at July 2011, a total of 167 part-time doctors have been employed by various public hospitals, among which there are 42 Consultants, 45 Associate Consultants and 80 Medical Officers.
"We will liaise with the Hong Kong Medical Association and the Hong Kong Women Doctor Association to help promote the programme to private doctors. Advertisements for both the full-time and part-time posts will be placed in a local newspaper this Saturday (September 24)," added Dr Leung.
Dr Leung hoped that the basket of measures to recruit supplementary manpower will provide relief to work pressure of frontline doctors as well as maintaining the standard of public hospital services.
Ends/Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Issued at HKT 21:24
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