As Occupy divides the medical profession, Dr Pierre Chan speaks up

As student protesters make their voices heard on the streets, a younger generation is determined to have its say against the old order in another high-profile field: medicine.

At the forefront of the push for better representation is 38-year-old gastroenterology specialist Dr Pierre Chan Pui-yin. Fresh from his election as chairman of the Public Doctors' Association in July, Chan is now challenging for a seat on the Medical Council, the disciplinary watchdog for doctors.

And while he admits he is a long shot to win one of the three vacant seats when the votes are tallied on December 17, he believes his mission is vital - even more so given the split in the medical ranks over wider political issues in the wake of the Occupy movement.

"Most members of the Medical Council graduated between 1967 and 1991; do they really understand the younger doctors who graduated in the past 20 years?" he asked.

The Occupy movement has made the divide even starker. Young doctors were more likely to support the pro-democracy movement, and many medical students volunteered to work at first-aid tents at the protest camps. More than 600 doctors released a joint statement in support of the campaign in early October.

But many big-name medical professors are strongly against the campaign. Some 500 leading medical academics and professionals signed a petition expressing "deep sorrow and resentment" at the movement and likening the occupation to a "cancer" as they urged protesters to leave the streets.