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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority (HA) Chairman, Mr Anthony Wu, made the following clarification in response to comments expressed today (October 26) by some medical professionals on his earlier remarks in a press interview:
I wish to reiterate that I fully support and respect the pivotal role of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) in the assessment and registration of doctors for practice in Hong Kong. I also support and value the principle of professional autonomy and self-regulation.
In that particular press interview, I expressed my concern toward the high turnover of medical staff and serious manpower shortfall in various clinical departments. I indicated that, in the event that our limited registration applications were not accepted and our efforts to retain and recruit local doctors were not successful, we might have to discuss with the Government to examine other alternatives to get around the predicament that the HA is facing. The contents of the interview may have caused confusion to some medical professionals and I have therefore elaborated on the full context of my remarks in different occasions and mass media. I have also written directly to the MCHK, related professional bodies and patient groups to reiterate very clearly my position on these two issues, vis--vis the licensing authority of the MCHK and professional autonomy and self-regulation. I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my stance again to ease any doubt.
The HA always has the interest of the community at heart and will continue to engage in discussions with stakeholders to explore various avenues to ensure we have adequate resources to meet the community needs and to provide quality medical services to the people of Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:32
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