Editorial | Third medical school best for health of Hong Kong
- Proposals by HKUST and Imperial College London may offer training in fields currently unavailable and come at a time when city needs more medical professionals
The prognosis for the city to get a third medical school has improved with word that Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Imperial College London are holding serious talks about such a project. A source told the Post that HKUST and the top British institution have discussed plans and are preparing a detailed proposal to present to authorities by the end of this month.
The news is welcome in a city struggling to address a shortage of medical professionals. Moves to attract talent from the mainland and abroad have helped, but development of local talent is a more sustainable approach as global demand soars and populations age.
The existing medical schools at the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University have already increased their annual intake and announced plans to launch new graduate programmes.
Hong Kong may also benefit from a broader range of training if a third medical school sets out a curriculum that is different from what is already offered. Former Hospital Authority chairman Anthony Wu Ting-yuk said a third institution could target students with a first degree “to recruit the best people from the world”.
Wu said a graduate-entry approach would also prevent the new institution from competing with the other medical schools for students sitting the city’s university entrance exam.
