Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ3: Licensing Examination of Medical Council

Following is a question by the Hon Martin Liao and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (February 27):

Question:

It has been reported that some members of the healthcare sector have pointed out that due to the excessively high threshold of the Licensing Examination for non-local medical graduates (Licensing Examination) administered by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (the Medical Council), only a small number of candidates have passed the Licensing Examination and registered as medical practitioners over the years. As a result, the problem of shortage in medical practitioners in Hong Kong cannot be alleviated through non-local medical practitioners practising in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the respective numbers and passing rates of candidates sitting for different parts of the Licensing Examination administered by the Medical Council in each of the past five years;

(b) as it has been reported that currently non-local medical graduates are facing a licensing examination system which is less favourable to them as compared with that for local medical students (e.g. non-local medical practitioners who have already obtained medical specialist qualifications are required to sit for examination papers unrelated to their specialties), whether the authorities will urge the Medical Council to study making improvements to the system of the Licensing Examination, and to allow non-local medical practitioners who have passed Part I (i.e. Examination in Professional Knowledge) of the Licensing Examination to practise in Hong Kong with limited registration; and

(c) whether the Government will urge the Medical Council to consider following the practice of Singapore and permit graduates from overseas medical schools recognised by the Government to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong without sitting for examinations, so as to raise Hong Kong's medical standard and relieve the problem of shortage in medical practitioners?

Reply:

President,

The Medical Council of Hong Kong (Medical Council) is an independent statutory body established under the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161). It is empowered to handle regulatory matters relating to medical practitioners in Hong Kong including registration and disciplinary proceedings. One of the main functions of the Medical Council is to administer and conduct a Licensing Examination for medical graduates from non-local medical schools.

Under the Medical Registration Ordinance, with the exception of graduates of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), all persons who wish to register as medical practitioners with the Medical Council, regardless of whether they have obtained qualifications to practise as a medical practitioner outside Hong Kong, are required to sit the Medical Council's Licensing Examination and complete a 12-month internship training in Hong Kong before they can register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong. To be eligible for taking the Licensing Examination, they have to fulfill the conditions set out in the Ordinance, including the requirement that an applicant must satisfy the Medical Council that at the time of the application, he has satisfactorily completed not less than five years full time medical training of a type approved by the Medical Council and is the holder of a medical qualification acceptable to the Medical Council, and that the five years full time medical training must include a period of internship as approved by the Medical Council.

The Licensing Examination of the Medical Council aims to ensure that those who wish to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong after having received medical training elsewhere have attained a professional standard comparable to that of local medical graduates. This is to safeguard the quality of our medical services and hence public health. 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. Papers of the Licensing Examination are also prepared by teaching staff appointed by the two faculties of medicine and vetted by the Examination Sub-Committee of the Licentiate Committee under the Medical Council.

The Licensing Examination is held in Hong Kong annually and consists of three parts, namely, Examination in Professional Knowledge (Part I), Proficiency Test in Medical English (Part II), and Clinical Examination (Part III). Candidates are required to pass Part I and Part II before they are allowed to take Part III. Candidates have to pass all three parts to be regarded as having passed the Licensing Examination. A pass in Part I will be valid for five years. Candidates are required to pass the remaining parts of the Licensing Examination within the validity period; otherwise, the pass obtained in Part I will become invalid. No validity period is set for a pass obtained in Part II. If a candidate has taken any part of the Licensing Examination for five consecutive times and failed each time, the Medical Council may prohibit him from taking the Licensing Examination.

The number of candidates who sat the Licensing Examination and the passing rates of the examination in the past five years are listed in Annex.

To cope with the challenges arising from an ageing population and an increasing demand for healthcare services in the community, the Government has set up the Steering Committee on Strategic Review on Healthcare Manpower Planning and Professional Development, chaired by the Secretary for Food and Health, to conduct a review on healthcare manpower planning and professional development in Hong Kong. The Steering Committee has commissioned HKU and CUHK to provide professional input and technical support to the review. HKU will conduct a comprehensive projection on the manpower demand for different healthcare professions while CUHK will conduct a comparative review of the regulatory framework in Hong Kong and overseas jurisdictions (including Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia, etc.) covering the registration, licensing, qualifications and professional conduct of the healthcare professions concerned, as well as mechanisms for setting and upholding professional standards for reference by the Steering Committee. It is expected that the review will be completed in 2013 and the Steering Committee will come up with recommendations on how to cope with anticipated demand for healthcare manpower, strengthen professional training and facilitate professional development, with a view to ensuring the healthy and sustainable development of our healthcare system.


Ends/Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 13:24

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LCQ3 Annex