Tag Archives: China

     Following is a question by the Hon Martin Liao and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (December 4):
 
Question:
 
     The number of cases of organ donation recorded in Hong Kong for the first half of this year was on the low side and it has been reported that the number of transplants performed this year so far has plunged when compared with that of the same period of last year. Such situation has aroused concerns. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the monthly statistics of Hong Kong on organ donation, patients on the waiting list, organ transplants performed and average waiting time of patients for each type of organs in the past two years and since January this year;
 
(2) as the latest Thematic Household Survey Report has projected that more than 1.5 million of adults are willing to donate their organs after death, yet the number of persons who have registered with the Centralised Organ Donation Register is only about 310 000, whether the Government knows the reasons why a lot of people who are willing to donate their organs still have not yet registered, and the targeted measures in place to encourage such people to turn their goodwill into action, so as to practically boost the registration rate for organ donation; and
 
(3) as it has been reported that as at the end of last year, more than 300 Hong Kong people were waiting to undergo transplant of donated organs on the Mainland, and in future, Hong Kong residents may have the opportunity to undergo organ transplants at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, whether the Government knows the relevant details and has taken follow-up actions; if so, of the details?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     To impress upon the general public the importance of organ donation and to gradually inculcate a culture that is receptive to and appreciative of organ donation, the Food and Health Bureau, together with the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA), have been making promotional efforts on different fronts in collaboration with community partners.  Besides, the Government has been keeping track of the development regarding the public attitude and perception towards organ donation in order to facilitate the review of organ donation policy and promotional strategy.
 
     My reply to the three parts of the question raised by the Hon Martin Liao is as follows:
 
(1) In Hong Kong, human organs used for transplant originated from either living or cadaveric organ donation.  Although some patients with organ failure can receive living donation, cadaveric organs are the main source of human organs for transplant.
 
     HA does not maintain monthly statistics on organ donation, patients on the waiting list, organ transplants performed and average waiting time of patients for each type of organs.  The annual statistics for the period from 2017 to 2019 (as at end of September) are in Annex.
 
(2) The DH launched the Centralised Organ Donation Register (CODR) in 2008 to provide members of the public with a convenient channel to register their wish to donate organs after death.  The CODR also provides a reliable and effective means for HA’s Organ Donation Coordinators to ascertain, upon patients’ death, their previously expressed wish to donate organs, so that they may approach the patients’ families as soon as possible to seek their consent for donation of the deceased’s organs in order to save patients in urgent need of organ transplant.  As at November 2019, over 310 000 registrations have been recorded in the CODR.  On the other hand, the latest Thematic Household Survey (THS) has projected that more than 1.5 million people are willing to donate their organs after death, reflecting that most people have yet to turn their beliefs into actions.  According to the THS, among those people who were willing to donate organs after death but had not registered in the CODR, the majority considered there was no urgent need to register, or they were too busy/had no time to do so.  Less than 10 per cent expressed that they did not know the registration procedure.
 
     Over the years, we have been committed to making promotional efforts on organ donation on different fronts with a view to gradually inculcating a culture that is receptive to and appreciative of organ donation and increasing the registration number of the CODR.  The Government has set up the Committee on Promotion of Organ Donation (CPOD) in April 2016 to formulate organ donation promotion strategy and direction, and co-ordinate the work by other partners in conducting organ donation promotional activities and programmes, as well as public education.  In line with the CPOD’s recommendations, DH continues to organise promotional activities and seminars on organ donation targeting at different groups and ages, promote organ donation on television, radio, the Internet and other media, as well as conduct various organ donation promotional activities and programmes jointly with the Organ Donation Promotion Charter signatories etc.
 
     To facilitate registration by members of the public, the Government will continue to promote the CODR in more locations and through different channels.  To tie in with the celebration of the Organ Donation Day in November every year, we had encouraged public registration in the CODR by setting up promotion booths at MTR stations and arranging promotional bus parades.  This year, we have arranged an organ donation promotion vehicle to various locations from November to December in order to raise the public’s awareness on organ donation and facilitate organ donation registration.  The DH also sets up organ donation promotion booths to reach out to the public at various large scale public events, such as the Hong Kong Brands and Products Expo and Hong Kong Book Fair etc.  In addition, since early 2019, the DH has visited different Smart Identity Card Replacement Centres of the Immigration Department on rotation to call for support from the general public on organ donation and assist them to register in the CODR.  To date, about 9 000 people have registered.
 
     Besides, the DH has actively established an institution-based network by inviting public bodies, private companies and NGOs to work in collaboration with the Government to promote organ donation in order to boost the registration number of the CODR.  The DH also makes use of technological platforms to facilitate public registration of organ donation.  QR code allows members of the public to register online by using mobile phones at any time.  Meanwhile, the homepage of the HA’s website also contains relevant links to facilitate the public to register online immediately.
 
(3) Due to personal reasons, some individuals may choose to receive organ transplantation through the organ allocation mechanism on the Mainland.  The registration procedures, organ allocation mechanism and transplantation surgeries are performed in accordance with the regulations of the Mainland.  We understand that the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital had made some preliminary proposals to turn itself into a co-ordination unit for performing transplantation surgery for Hong Kong residents awaiting organ transplant on the Mainland.  However, it is necessary for such proposal to comply with relevant Mainland laws, regulations and procedures, and acquire approval and facilitation by the Mainland authorities.
 
     It would be beyond the legal authority of the HA to set up a mechanism to allow patients awaiting organs in Hong Kong to receive transplantation outside the territory, just as the purchase of transplantation services from overseas service providers by the HA for its patients.  From implementation perspective, it is also difficult to delineate the legal responsibilities between HA and individual clinical service providers.
 
     All in all, we will closely monitor the development of organ transplant and continue our efforts to promote organ donation to assist patients in need. read more

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Chiang Lai-wan and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (December 4):
 
Question:
 
     It is learnt that manpower shortage of doctors in public hospitals has caused delay in the treatment of quite a number of patients. For instance, the longest waiting time for new case booking at the specialist outpatient clinics under the Hospital Authority (HA) is as long as three years and ten months. Regarding the manpower of doctors, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it will, by making reference to the average ratio of 3.2 doctors per 1 000 persons in the European region, set a target doctor-to-population ratio for Hong Kong and carry out manpower planning properly, so as to ensure that there are sufficient doctors in public healthcare institutions for maintaining service quality, and to avoid creating a vicious cycle of excessive work pressure causing wastage of doctors; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(2) given that doctors hired under the Special Retired and Rehire Scheme are only offered contracts of a term of one year, whether it knows if HA will extend the contract term to three years, so as to attract more retired doctors to apply for rehiring; if HA will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) of the latest situation regarding HA’s recruitment of non-locally trained doctors under limited registration; given that the Government has proposed to provide specialist training for this type of doctors to attract them to work in Hong Kong, whether the Government will allocate additional resources to HA and the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, with a view to increasing the training places; if so, of the details (including the specialties which will be accorded priority for increasing the training places); if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     Owing to an ageing population and an over-burdened public healthcare system, the shortfall in the supply of doctors has been serious in the public sector. The Government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach to tackle this problem. The Food and Health Bureau set up a platform in March this year, engaging representatives from the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK), the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM), the Hong Kong Medical Association, the Hospital Authority (HA), the two medical schools in Hong Kong and the Department of Health to discuss about practicable options to increase the supply of doctors.

     As a result of these discussions, the MCHK has shortened the period of assessment for non-locally trained specialist doctors who have passed the Licensing Examination from six months to two days starting from August this year. We expect that this will attract more qualified non-locally trained specialists to practise in Hong Kong. To provide more incentive for non-locally trained doctors to serve in the public healthcare system in Hong Kong, the Government is exploring more effective ways to provide specialist training for non-locally trained doctors without compromising specialist training opportunities for locally trained doctors. Relevant colleges under the HKAM and the HA are studying the implementation details with a view to attracting more non-locally trained doctors to serve in Hong Kong.

     The Government will continue to closely monitor the situation and maintain close communication with relevant stakeholders and organisations of the medical profession, so as to explore other measures to increase the supply of doctors.

     My reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Chiang Lai-wan is as follows:

(1) The Government has not set any target ratio between medical professionals and the population. As for the HA, different types and levels of services are provided having regard to the conditions and needs of each patient. Therefore, the HA does not have any prescribe medical professional-to-patient ratio. Nevertheless, the HA has established a mechanism for manpower assessment and planning to ensure that there are sufficient medical staff to meet service demand. The HA will continue to keep in view the manpower situation and make appropriate arrangements in manpower planning to cope with the growing demand for healthcare services.
 
(2) The HA reviews and enhances the arrangements for the Special Retired and Rehire Scheme from time to time to retain experienced medical professionals for the purposes of training and knowledge transfer, as well as alleviating the manpower shortage. Starting from 2020-21, the contract period for rehired medical staff will be extended from one year to two years, up to the age of 65. As at the end of October 2019, a total of 65 doctors have been rehired after retirement to continue their service in various HA specialties.
 
(3) From 2011/12 to November 1, 2019, the MCHK approved 54 limited registration applications for non-locally trained doctors to practise in the HA. Currently, 20 non-locally trained doctors are serving in departments with manpower shortage, including anaesthesia, accident and emergency, cardiothoracic surgery, family medicine, medicine, neurosurgery, paediatrics, radiology and surgery. Four more non-locally trained doctors will assume office between the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year.

     Since April this year, the HA has expanded the scope of the limited registration scheme to all specialties at the rank of Resident, and recruited non-locally trained specialists at the rank of Associate Consultant in eight specialties (namely anaesthesia, anatomical pathology, cardio-thoracic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, radiology and nuclear medicine) where wastage is more serious. All posts held by non-locally trained doctors employed under the limited registration scheme are supernumerary posts created with additional government resources.

     Following the implementation of the Medical Registration (Amendment) Ordinance 2018, the validity period and renewal period of limited registration have been extended from not exceeding one year to not exceeding three years. With this extension and other improvement measures, the number of non-locally trained doctors recruited under the limited registration scheme is expected to increase.

     As regards the provision of specialist training for non-locally trained doctors, a number of colleges under the HKAM, including accident and emergency, medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, paediatrics, psychiatry, community medicine and pathology, have admitted these doctors to continue their specialist training in Hong Kong. The HKAM and its relevant colleges are discussing and working out the implementation details.

     Upon finalisation of the details, the HA will update the recruitment conditions of limited registration doctors accordingly and submit relevant limited registration applications to the MCHK for approval. Besides, to enable the non-locally trained doctors working in the HA to undergo trainee rotation as required by the relevant colleges under the HKMA, the HA has obtained approval from the MCHK to assign non-locally trained limited registration doctors to work in different departments of public hospitals in accordance with their training needs and service demand.

     The HA will continue to recruit non-locally trained doctors by way of limited registration, and will keep reviewing and monitoring the overall manpower situation. read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Tony Tse and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, in the Legislative Council today (December 4):
 
Question:
 
     On the sixth of last month, the Central Government announced, after a meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, 16 policy measures benefiting members of the public and facilitating the development of Hong Kong’s professional sectors in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These include Measure 1: further extending the scope of mutual recognition of qualifications for construction professionals, and Measure 2: expanding the scope of application of the liberalisation policy for the construction professionals from Hong Kong and Macao to practise in the Mainland. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the details of Measure 1, including (i) the construction and related engineering professions to be covered, (ii) whether such professions include any profession that has never been allowed to have mutual recognition of qualifications with the Mainland, and (iii) whether the work on mutual recognition of qualifications will be carried out in a constant and regular manner;
 
(2) given that the scope of application of the current liberalisation policy, formulated for the practice of Hong Kong professionals who have acquired, through mutual recognition or examinations, the Mainland’s professional qualifications in areas such as construction and related engineering in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, will be extended to the entire Mainland according to Measure 2, of the details of such liberalisation policy;
 
(3) when the two Measures are expected to come into effect, and whether the Government will consult the trade and professional bodies on the relevant implementation details; and
 
(4) whether the Government will, when discussing with the Mainland authorities other policies and measures relating to the practice of Hong Kong’s construction professionals in the Mainland, enhance its communication with the trade and professional bodies and invite them to participate in the relevant discussion?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Development Bureau has always been actively promoting exchanges and co-operation in the aspects of technical expertise and management between the construction and engineering related industries of the Mainland and Hong Kong. In order to facilitate the development of related enterprises of both places and to help local companies to grasp the opportunities arising from the rapid economic growth and continual market liberalisation in the Mainland, we have been maintaining close communication and collaboration with relevant Mainland authorities over the years to promote mutual recognition of professional qualifications and implement a number of preferential policies and liberalisation measures. We have also signed co-operation agreements with the three pilot free trade zones (FTZs) in the Guangdong Province including Qianhai of Shenzhen, Hengqin of Zhuhai and Nansha of Guangzhou with a view to creating more business opportunities for Hong Kong enterprises and professionals of the construction and engineering sectors. Moreover, with the launch of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we have been actively discussing with relevant Mainland authorities to explore suitable measures that could help Hong Kong’s construction and engineering sectors to develop business in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area). We believe Hong Kong professionals could serve as an important momentum to assist in forging the Greater Bay Area into a world-class bay area.
 
     In response to the four parts of the Hon Tony Tse’s enquiry, our reply is as follows:
 
(1) The measure related to mutual recognition of qualifications for construction professionals mainly cover four professions for which mutual recognition agreements have been signed, including architects, structural engineers, planners and building surveyors. The new measure will allow these professionals to complete continuing professional development courses in Hong Kong so as to extend their registered professional qualifications in the Mainland. Moreover, the new measure will cover work to promote the extension of the scope of mutual recognition for architects, structural engineers and building surveyors, from practising qualifications to membership qualifications of the relevant professional institutions.
 
      As for mutual recognition of qualifications for other new professional disciplines, we are keeping regular communication with the related Mainland authorities through the platform of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) and will assist the relevant professional institutions of both places to initiate discussions at an appropriate time.
 
(2) At present, Hong Kong professionals who have obtained construction and engineering related professional qualifications in the Mainland through either mutual recognition or examination can enjoy benefits from the following preferential measures in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian:
 
(i) Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland’s class 1 registered architect qualification through mutual recognition, are allowed to register and practise in the above provinces regardless of whether they are registered practitioners in Hong Kong. They are recognised as registered practitioners for the purpose of declaration of engineering design enterprise qualifications in the above provinces in accordance with the relevant Mainland regulations;
 
(ii) Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland’s registered architect qualification through examination, are allowed to register and practise in the above provinces regardless of whether they are registered practitioners in Hong Kong. They are recognised as registered practitioners for the purpose of declaration of engineering design enterprise qualifications in the above provinces in accordance with the relevant Mainland regulations;
 
(iii) Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland’s supervision engineer qualification, are allowed to register and practise in the above provinces regardless of whether they are registered practitioners in Hong Kong. They are recognised as registered practitioners for the purpose of declaration of supervision enterprise qualifications in the above provinces in accordance with the relevant Mainland regulations;
 
(iv) Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland’s class 1 registered structural engineer qualification through mutual recognition, are allowed to register and practise in the above provinces regardless of whether they are registered practitioners in Hong Kong. They are recognised as registered practitioners for the purpose of declaration of engineering design enterprise qualifications in the above provinces in accordance with the relevant Mainland regulations;
 
(v) Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland’s registered urban planner qualification, are allowed to register in the above provinces regardless of whether they are registered in Hong Kong or not; and
 
(vi) Hong Kong professionals, who have obtained Mainland’s registered structural engineer, registered civil engineer (harbour and waterway), registered public facility engineer, registered chemical engineer or registered electrical engineer qualification through examination, are allowed to register and practise in the above provinces regardless of whether they are registered practitioners in Hong Kong. They are recognised as registered practitioners for the purpose of declaration of engineering design enterprise qualifications in the above provinces in accordance with the relevant Mainland regulations.
 
     Through the new measure, the areas of application of the above preferential measures will be extended to all provinces of the Mainland.
 
(3) The new measures mentioned in (1) and (2) are those additional preferential measures opened to Hong Kong through the Agreement Concerning Amendment to the CEPA Agreement on Trade in Services in 2019, which will take effect from June 1, 2020. The Agreement also include another new measure which allows professionals who have obtained the qualification of General Practice Surveyors in Hong Kong to directly register, practise and provide property valuation services in Qianhai of Shenzhen, Hengqin of Zhuhai and Nansha of Guangzhou. We are now planning to meet with relevant professional bodies and construction associations early next year to brief them on the contents of the new measures.
 
(4) The Development Bureau has been keeping close contact with professional bodies in the construction sector and consults them on different measures from time to time. Take 2019 as an example, we have met with the professional institutions and construction associations to discuss about proposed measures that could help the industry develop in the Greater Bay Area and the FTZs. In conjunction with the industry, we have also organised various events to foster our connection with the Mainland, such as the 2018 Mainland and Hong Kong Construction Forum held in Guiyang in July 2018, the “Nanhai of Foshan & Hong Kong – Innovation Forum-cum-Business Matching Meeting on Construction Engineering and Management Services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao High-end Services Demonstration Zone” held in Foshan in August 2019 and the study mission held in Nansha in September 2019. We will continue to keep close communication with the industry and help local enterprises and professionals to provide services in the Mainland as well as enhance their business opportunities. read more

     Following is a question by Professor the Hon Joseph Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (December 4):   Question:      &nbs… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation:
 
     The Committee on Home-School Co-operation (CHSC) will release the e-version (in Chinese and English) of the Secondary School Profiles 2019/2020 tomorrow (December 5). The Chinese and English printed versions of the profiles will be delivered to primary schools for distribution to parents with children at the Primary Six level in the current school year.
 
     The Secondary School Profiles 2019/2020 cover basic information on more than 400 secondary schools including teaching staff, class structure, school facilities, school characteristics, school life, extra-curricular activities, student support and the school curriculum, as well as the schools’ teaching strategies, such as the whole-school language policy. The profiles contain information provided and verified by individual schools, showing their situations as at September 2019.
 
     The publication of the profiles aims to provide comprehensive secondary school information for parents’ reference. The profiles also include “A Message from CHSC Chairman”, which states key points for parents when choosing schools.
 
     The e-version of the profiles enables schools to update their information on the web directly whenever necessary, so that parents can obtain the most up-to-date school information.
 
     The profiles will be uploaded to the website of the CHSC at www.chsc.hk/secondary/en. Copies of the printed version will be available for public reference at District Offices, public libraries, Regional Education Offices and the Central Resources Centre of the Education Bureau (EDB).
 
     For enquiries about the profiles, please call the EDB’s Regional Education Offices (Hong Kong: 2863 4646; Kowloon: 3698 4108; New Territories East: 2639 4876; and New Territories West: 2437 7272) or the CHSC Secretariat at 3698 4376.  read more