The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, together with the Permanent Secretary for Health, Mr Thomas Chan, and the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, met with Council members of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) today (September 8) to exchange views on various topics in relation to Hong Kong's healthcare system.
 
     At the meeting, Professor Lo briefed HKAM Council members on the latest progress of the legislative exercise to amend the Supplementary Medical Professions Ordinance (Cap. 359), including the proposals to explore legislative amendment to enable members of the public to receive healthcare professional services (such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy) direct without the need to seek a doctor's referral as well as to empower Chinese medicine practitioners to prescribe diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests for patients. HKAM Council members’ views on the proposals were gauged. In addition, the meeting discussed the follow-up work in relation to the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2021 passed in October last year, including enhancing the transparency on the mechanism for recognising non-locally awarded specialist qualifications and review of the availability of specialist training places for locally and non-locally trained doctors.  HKAM expressed that they were more than willing to complement the relevant follow-up work.

     With the Government's extensive efforts in developing and establishing the primary healthcare system in recent years, Professor Lo also suggested the HKAM to add primary healthcare elements to their training programmes or activities, so that doctors can provide support to primary healthcare more effectively, thereby further alleviating the pressure on the public healthcare system and enhancing the health of the general public.
 
     Professor Lo said, "Over the years, the HKAM has endeavoured to enhance the training standards of specialist doctors and to ensure that such standards keep abreast of the times.  I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the HKAM for its continuous support to the Government in taking forward various healthcare-related policies. The Government will continue to support the training and development of specialist doctors."
 
     In addition, in order to promote the development of quality healthcare services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the HKAM joined hands with the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission to establish the SZ-HK Medical Specialist Training Centre in Shenzhen in 2019. It aims to leverage Hong Kong's strengths in training internationalised medical talent so as to set up a specialist doctors training system in the Mainland for enhancing the competency of Mainland medical professionals and quality of healthcare services. At the meeting, Professor Lo indicated that the Government will support HKAM’s work in continuing their provision of training on this aspect, which seeks to allow Hong Kong healthcare sectors to guide the innovation development in the GBA, foster healthcare collaboration between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and contribute to the healthcare development of the GBA as well as the nation.

Ends/Thursday, September 8, 2022
Issued at HKT 21:45

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