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Under the existing Medical Registration Ordinance, holders of UK, Irish and certain Commonwealth diplomas are automatically entitled to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong. This is discriminatory and would appear to contravene the provisions of the General Agreement on Trade in Services. Our second proposal is to introduce a universal licensing examination which practitioners seeking registration in Hong Kong will have to pass, no matter where they received their training. This will provide a fair and reasonable system to those seeking to enter the profession in Hong Kong. I hope that, within this much fairer structure which we are proposing, the enlarged Medical Council will consider entry to the profession by foreign-trained medical practitioners in as liberal a spirit as possible without compromising patients' safety or standards of medical care.
The third proposed change is the introduction of a Specialist Register. We have at present a register of medical practitioners. However, the community has no means of knowing which of those practitioners may be qualified to practise in a certain medical specialty. A Specialist Register is proposed to be established to allow for the formal registration and control of medical specialists. A General Register will take the place of the existing register.
Our fourth proposal paves the way for medical practitioners-in-charge of exempted clinics to apply for limited registration. These practitioners have, over many years, provided a useful service to the community, especially to those who are less well off. They should be allowed, without comprising patients' safety and standards of professional care, to practise under the provisions of limited registration.
The existing Ordinance provides for the establishment of a Licentiate Committee and a Preliminary Investigation Committee. We propose to enshrine in law various other important aspects of the Council's work through the establishment of three other statutory committees. They are the Health Committee, the Education Committee and the Ethics Committee.
Our last proposed change concerns disciplinary proceedings. We
propose that the Medical Council and its Health Committee should be empowered to prohibit the disclosure of information relating to an inquiry by the Council or a hearing by the Health Committee, if it is in the interests of the complainant, defendant or witness.
End/Wednesday, June 7, 1995