ENG-2010 — Page 228

182 Health

introduced a new career structure for doctors in 2007. Some 200 doctors completed training at the HA and obtained specialist qualification in 2010.

Dentists

Training in dentistry is available at the University of Hong Kong, which enrolled 52 dental students in 2010. During the year, six candidates who completed their dental training outside Hong Kong passed the licensing examination conducted by the Dental Council of Hong Kong. Dentists are also encouraged to study further to enhance their professional competence.

Chinese Medicine Practitioners (CMPs)

The University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Baptist University offer full-time undergraduate degree courses in Chinese medicine. The HA also assists the Hong Kong Baptist University in providing western medicine training and clinical practice for undergraduate degree courses in Chinese medicine. In 2010, 68 full-time local Chinese medicine bachelor's degree graduates who passed the licensing examination were registered as CMPs.

Currently, the Chinese medicine outpatient clinics under the HA are required to employ new graduates of degree courses in Chinese medicine as junior CMPs and to provide them with up to three years of training, including pre-employment training and clinical practice of western medicine, as well as inviting renowned experts and professors on a regular basis to give lectures in Hong Kong and provide specialist clinical guidance to trainees. As at the end of 2010, 60 graduates in their first year training and 133 trainees in their second and third year training were employed in 14 Chinese medicine outpatient clinics of the HA.

To cater for the future development of the Chinese medicine speciality, the HA will arrange for CMPs to receive specialist training in Chinese medicine hospitals in the Mainland. After completing their training, the CMPs will have to return to Hong Kong to assist in the development of the Chinese medicine specialist service and the establishment of a Chinese medicine specialist team.

Allied Health Professionals

Hong Kong Polytechnic University offers degree programmes for allied health professionals in the fields of medical laboratory science, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, optometry and radiography. In 2010, enrolments in these courses numbered 33, 73, 47, 38 and 51 respectively.

To address the service demand and tie in with the new model of professional development, the Institute of Advanced Allied Health Studies under the HA devises structured long-term training plan for allied health staff and runs courses on specialist and multi-disciplinary training and personal development. These include a three-year in-service training course organised for new recruits of allied health grades. In 2010, a total of 50 training courses and a number of overseas scholarships were offered.