The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
Hospital Authority (HA) representatives participated in recruitment events in London and Manchester of the United Kingdom (UK), organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, for two consecutive days on April 20 and 21 (UK time). The events were held with around 300 medical students and medical practitioners participating in person or online. The delegation, composed of representatives from the HA, the two medical schools in Hong Kong and the Department of Health, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London and the Hong Kong Medical Society of the UK, promoted to overseas healthcare talent the latest pathways for working in Hong Kong, registration arrangements, specialist training development, etc, all of which received an overwhelming response.
The HA Chief Executive, Dr Tony Ko, said, "In addition to the recruitment event in London, we also visited another big city – Manchester. We are delighted to have the opportunity to meet with medical students and medical practitioners there in person and online to introduce the latest situation of the public healthcare system in Hong Kong. Their responses were very positive, as they acknowledged the various pathways to practicing in Hong Kong conveniently under the new registration scheme. We also exchanged views regarding the working environment, remuneration packages, career prospects of working in the Hong Kong public healthcare sector as well as the advantages of healthcare services development. The participants were enthusiastic and expressed that they will seriously consider returning to serve patients in Hong Kong."
Dr Ko said that the HA has strengthened its work in recruiting overseas healthcare talent, including establishing a Global Healthcare Professional Recruitment Centre to co-ordinate all overseas recruitment programmes. The HA has also regularised overseas recruitment activities by arranging for representatives to go to different places to promote and recruit healthcare talent. In addition to actively attracting medical students to return to Hong Kong to work upon graduation, the HA also hopes to attract overseas medical practitioners to serve patients by joining the HA. Therefore, the HA has integrated and simplified the recruitment process to provide a one-stop enquiry service through an online platform and instant messaging apps for healthcare professionals who are interested in working or taking part in exchanges in Hong Kong through various registration schemes and the Global Healthcare Talent Scheme, etc. The HA will arrange a designated team to contact and assist in matching them to suitable jobs, and assist applicants in arranging other procedures for working in Hong Kong, so as to make it as convenient as possible for overseas healthcare professionals to join the HA.
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Philip Chiu; Associate Dean Professor Simon Ng; Associate Dean of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong Professor Leo Poon; Assistant Dean Professor Kelvin To; and Assistant Director of Health Dr Jackie Leung also participated in the recruitment events in person and online. Participants could make enquiries and learn about the different working environments of public healthcare services directly, including clinical work in public hospitals, teaching and research work in universities, various positions in public health and primary healthcare, etc.
Apart from showing an interest in obtaining a full registration, the opportunity to receive specialist training and the arrangements for obtaining specialist qualifications in Hong Kong, the participants were also briefed by non-locally trained doctors serving in the HA so that they could learn more about the attractions and advantages of returning to work in Hong Kong.
Dr Ko said, "The response to this recruitment event in the UK has been very satisfactory. We are confident in recruiting many suitable non-locally trained doctors to join the HA to serve patients. The HA will continue promotions in different countries and regions proactively, making every effort to recruit eligible non-locally trained doctors to join Hong Kong's public healthcare sector to meet the growing demand for services."
The HA will maintain close contact with the participants and verify the qualifications of those interested in working in Hong Kong. According to their schedule for arriving in Hong Kong, the HA will assist them in relevant appointments and approval procedures so that they can start working in the HA as soon as possible. Other medical students and medical practitioners interested in working in Hong Kong are also welcome to make enquiries related to job applications through an online platform and instant messaging software (see appendix). The HA will arrange for a designated team to follow up and provide assistance.
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