Page 5 - Manpower_Report2021_200524_eng
P. 5

Hong Kong people are negatively impacted by the severe shortage of doctors

                  •   People needing medical attention in Hong Kong are negatively impacted by an insufficient doctor supply. The waiting time
                      for public healthcare services continues to increase across the board, from accident and emergency services to specialist
                      out-patient clinic appointments and admission for inpatient hospital care, contributing to potential delay in diagnosis and
                      treatment.
                  •   Doctors in Hong Kong, particularly those working in the public sector, are negatively impacted by an insufficient doctor
                      supply. The public healthcare sector is staffed with less than 50% of Hong Kong’s doctor workforce despite currently
                      handling a disproportionate volume of healthcare demands. Characterised by a subpar working environment with long
                      working hours and limited patient interaction time, the public sector has a pertinent need for a boost in doctor supply.
                      Of concern is the attrition of doctors in the Hospital Authority (HA) over the past five years, particularly among senior
                      grade doctors with years of clinical experience. The injection of new locally trained doctors, coupled with other human
                      resource measures, has been unable to fully offset the additional burden created by this ongoing attrition, resulting in the
                      Government’s estimated shortfall of at least 660 specialists and specialists-to-be in 2020.


                     Hong Kong has shown weak determination in narrowing down its widening doctor shortage gap

                  In the past decade, Hong Kong has attempted a multifaceted approach to narrow down its widening doctor shortage gap,
                  including increasing local medical training places, adjusting policies related to admitting non-locally trained doctors into the
                  system, and bettering retention measures to lower attrition rates in the public sector. However, mechanisms currently in place
                  have had limited impact on narrowing Hong Kong’s widening doctor shortage gap.

















                                                                                                                                          3
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10