HONG KONG – Doctors from the United Kingdom and the Chinese mainland account for two-thirds of the 271 non-locally trained physicians who have qualified to register and practice in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau.

In a written reply to a query at the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Lo said that 108 doctors from the UK, 70 from the mainland, 18 from Australia and 75 more from other countries have come to work in the city as it tries to address a shortage of physicians in the public healthcare system.

Lo said that data from the Medical Council of Hong Kong showed that a total of 273 non-locally trained doctors have applied since 2022. Of this number, 271 were approved and 261 have actually registered to practice in the city

Lo said that data from the Medical Council of Hong Kong showed that a total of 273 non-locally trained doctors have applied since 2022 and 271 were approved and have actually registered to practice in the city. 

“The government has been addressing the shortage of doctors in the public healthcare system through a multipronged strategy, including the admission of qualified non-locally trained doctors to work in the public healthcare system,” Lo said.

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He said the Hospital Authority employs 158 of these doctors who have qualified while 56 are working with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 37 at the University of Hong Kong, 13 at the Department of Health, and seven at local clinics.

The Medical Registration Ordinance was amended in 2021 to allow non-locally trained doctors to practice in the citythrough a special registration process to help address the shortage of physicians.

Applicants could be a Hong Kong permanent resident who graduated from medical schools abroad with qualifications recognized by the Medical Council of Hong Kong.

They could also be a graduate of these recognized medical schools and then obtained a specialist qualification awarded or recognized by the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine.

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Those who have worked full-time in a Hong Kong public institution under limited registration for five years or more and then obtained a specialist qualification from the academy could also apply.

According to local think tank Our Hong Kong Foundation, residents aged 65 or above will account for 29.9 percent of the city’s population by 2036, and Hong Kong will need another 10,000 doctors to match the level of healthcare for chronic diseases it had some two decades ago.