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Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Ka-ki and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (December 19):
Question:
In reply to my question on May 9 this year, the former Secretary for Education and Manpower said that the income generated from the provision of private consultation services at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine ("the Faculty") of the University of Hong Kong could only be used for academic research, attendance of overseas academic seminars and other professional development purposes. However, some doctors told me that since April this year, the Faculty had apportioned as high as 50% of the income from private consultations to individual teaching staff as income. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
(a) the reasons for the Faculty apportioning part of the income from private consultations to its teaching staff and the details concerned, the measures to prevent the abuse of such practice, and how the Faculty ensures that the resources for academic research will not be reduced;
(b) the number of teaching staff to whom the Faculty has apportioned the income from such consultations so far and the total amount involved, and the respective amounts of money received by the five teaching staff who have been apportioned the highest amounts of such income; and
(c) whether the Faculty has considered, by making reference to the practice of other universities, deducting a certain amount from the original remuneration of the teaching staff because additional income is derived during office hours?
Reply:
Madam President,
All University Grants Committee (UGC) ¡ª funded institutions are autonomous statutory bodies governed by their own ordinances. They enjoy institutional autonomy in the management of their internal affairs and finance, including the use of income generated from the provision of private consultation services. The Administration does not possess information on the apportionment arrangement between the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and its staff regarding income generated from private consultation services. On the specific issues raised, the UGC Secretariat has helped to obtain information from HKU which is set out as follows -
(a) According to HKU, its Faculty of Medicine decided in May, 2007 to start apportioning income from private clinical practice to staff, with retrospective effect from April 1, 2006, to recognise the additional work performed by the staff, reward their service to the community, and retain talents. This practice is also in line with that of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and overseas universities.
Under the apportionment arrangement, not more than half of the income generated from private practice can be shared with staff. HKU staff can only engage in private practice after they have discharged their responsibilities with regard to teaching, research, and clinical service in the teaching hospitals. The amount of private consultations cannot exceed two half-day sessions (about 8 hours) every week. Clinical service for private patients provided by each subspecialty is under the supervision of the relevant division chief and departmental chief of service respectively.
(b) HKU has so far paid about $11.6 million to 65 staff. The money received by the five teaching staff who have been apportioned the highest amounts of such income totals about $3.6 million.
(c) HKU does not consider it appropriate to reduce the salary of those staff members who have received income from private clinical practice, as the workload and the duties of the staff members concerned have essentially remained the same regardless of whether they are engaged in private clinical practice in accordance with the rules stipulated by the University. We understand that CUHK also does not reduce the salary of those staff members who have received income from private clinical practice.
Ends/Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:26
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