As more young doctors leave public hospitals to join private sector, Hong Kong health chief raises concern
Hong Kong Free Press
More young Hong Kong doctors in their 30s have been leaving the city’s public hospitals to join private health care practices, the Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau has said, exacerbating an existing shortage of medics in the public sector.
Speaking on an RTHK radio show on Sunday, Lo said the trend was related to the city’s emigration wave. As medics have left the private sector, young doctors in the public system have been quitting soon after completing their specialist training in the public sector to enter private practices.
Doctors aged 30 and 39 recorded the highest turnover rate at public hospitals, the health chief said, adding that it was difficult for public hospitals to compete with the private sector in terms of remuneration.
According to the civil service pay scale, resident doctors at public hospitals can ear between HK$68,940 and HKD128,420, while a consultant doctor’s salary ranges from HK$159,150 to HKD$257,050.
But medics in the private sector can determine their price for each treatment and service, and therefore see higher pay.
“In terms of recruiting and retaining talent, it’s hard for us to compete with the private sector based solely on high pay. Instead, we should think more about professional development and satisfaction at work,” Lo said in Cantonese.
The Hospital Authority, a statutory body that manages all of Hong Kong’s government hospitals and institutes, has sought to plug a labour shortfall by holding recruitment fares in the UK in April and in Australia in June to hire overseas medics.
Lo said the authority had issued 110 conditional offers to doctors in the UK and around 20 candidates in the Australia have finished interviews, with the first batch of overseas medics arriving in Hong Kong in September.
High attrition rate
The attrition rate at public hospital has risen in recent years, with nurses recording the most severe shortage, despite a number of initiatives to attract and retain talent at the city’s overloaded hospitals.
In the 12 months leading up to the end of April, 2,925 nurses left the public hospital system, the Hospital Authority announced in June. Only 2,467 were hired, leaving 458 unfilled vacancies.
Meanwhile, 449 doctors left their positions over the past year, but 528 were hired in the same period. The attrition rate rose from 6.9 per cent in 2021-22, to 7.1 per cent last year.
436 doctors left public hospitals in 2021-22.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.
