TNAG-1854-FCO40-2629-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 205

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 18 January 1989

香港立法局 一九八九年一月十八日

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Ordinance. This is a matter which the Administration will need to consider with the Medical and Health Department and the Medical Council, and this will be done.

DR. IP: Sir, in the granting of licence to practise medicine in Hong Kong, has the Medical Council the power to impose restrictions, namely, confining the practice to specific geographical area in Hong Kong?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: I am not aware of the restrictions to a single geographical area. It may be that this is possible under the Ordinance. I suspect, however, that a separate amendment to the Ordinance would remove this particular responsibility from the Medical Council, if that is the course of action which is decided upon.

MR. CHEONG: Sir, were the difficulties as stated by the Medical Council made known to the Administration? If so, could this Council be apprised of these difficulties?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Sir, we were informed in December that, after full consideration of our request, the Council had difficulty in acceding to it. We were not given any detailed explanations.

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DR. LEONG: Sir, has the Administration considered advising the UNHCR of recruiting part-timers with registrable medical qualifications in Hong Kong· understand there are quite a few amongst the expatriate communtiy -to work in these Vietnamese detention centres instead of disturbing the existing system of a single approved medical standard for our local community?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Yes, Sir, this has been considered but I understand from the UNHCR that there are problems about part-time doctors undertaking full-time work in these centres.

MR. EDWARD HO: Sir, would the Secretary inform this Council whether there is any practical difficulty encountered by the UNHCR in recruiting qualified doctors locally?

SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Yes, Sir, the UNHCR has tried to do this but the salary offered, I am afraid, has not attracted local doctors to undertake this work.