It is known that Hong Kong patients have been suffering from long waiting time for specialist treatments. The government must seek a solution to ease the plight of the patients. The recently proposed regulatory amendments to introduce non-locally trained doctors into the system can help but it is only a mitigation measure. To effectively address the shortage of doctors, it requires the coordination of multiple stakeholders.
At present, public hospitals in Hong Kong are facing a high turnover of doctors. Taking consultants as an example, the turnover rate was as high as 10% in 2018-2019, and it was 7.7% and 7% respectively in the following two years. Currently, it takes 12 years to train a specialist. Besides, the experience of specialists, especially senior specialists, is precious. Even if the two medical schools in Hong Kong increase the number of locally-trained doctors right now, there will not be an immediate effect on the replenishment of the lost expertise. Amidst the global competition for medical talents, Hong Kong must try every possible means to attract medical professionals to serve the community.