XN000022-1995-10-20 — Page 27

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25.

New licensing examination of Medical Council

The Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) today (Friday) announced that with effect from August 1 next year, all medical graduates wishing to register as a medical practitioner with the Council will be required to pass the Council's Licensing Examination and undergo a successful period of pre-registration practical training.

A spokesman for MCHK explained that the new scheme was being introduced as a result of the amendment to the Medical Registration Ordinance, which was passed through the legislature on July 28.

He said the scheme would affect in particular medical practitioners from the United Kingdom and certain recognised Commonwealth countries such as Australia and Singapore. The latters are, at present, exempted from having to take MCHK's Licentiate Examination.

Local graduates of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong would be exempted from having to take the Licensing Examination, he added.

He said the new Licensing Examination would be modelled on the existing Licentiate Examination with some modifications to bring in an uniform standard applicable to all candidates, irrespective of their original place of training.

The new examination is made up of three parts:

* Part I will be expanded to consist of a total of 180 to 240 multiple choice questions, to be answered in two papers; and is intended to test the candidate's knowledge not only in the various fields of medicine but also in basic sciences and medical ethic.

* Part II will retain its present format and is designed to ensure that the

candidate's command of English is adequate for professional purpose.

* Part III will be revised to a clinical examination so as to test the candidate's ability to apply professional knowledge to clinical problems in various aspects of medical practice.