ENG-2013 — Page 194

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Health

Training of Medical and Health Personnel

Doctors

Degree courses in medicine and surgery are offered at the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which admitted a total of 420 medical students to the six- year bachelor degree programme in 2013. In 2013, 46 medical graduates with professional qualifications obtained outside Hong Kong passed the licensing examination conducted by the Medical Council of Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Academy of Medicine is an independent statutory body which approves, assesses and accredits specialist training within the medical and dental professions. Its 15 colleges conduct training and examinations to award specialist qualifications to qualifying candidates.

The HA also trains specialist doctors. Each year, the majority of medical graduates of the two local universities are offered appointment to the HA for specialist training while working in the HA. The HA recruited about 290 doctors for specialist training in 2013 and some 310 doctors completed training at the HA and obtained specialist qualifications.

Dentists

Degree courses in dentistry are available at the University of Hong Kong, which admitted 52 dental students to its six-year bachelor degree programme in 2013. In 2013, six candidates who completed their dental training outside Hong Kong passed the licensing examination conducted by the Dental Council of Hong Kong.

Chinese Medicine Practitioners

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University and the University of Hong Kong offer full-time undergraduate degree courses in Chinese medicine. In 2013, 102 full- time local Chinese medicine bachelor's degree graduates who passed the licensing examination were registered as Chinese medicine practitioners (CMPs).

The public Chinese medicine clinics operating under a tripartite model involving the HA, NGOs and local universities are required to employ new graduates of Hong Kong degree courses in Chinese medicine as junior CMPs and to provide them with three years of training. As at the end of 2013, the 17 public clinics provided 68 CMPs places for their first year of training and 136 CMPs places for their second and third years of training.

Allied Health Professionals

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University offers degree programmes for allied health professionals in physiotherapy, radiography, occupational therapy, medical laboratory science and optometry. In 2013, 110, 98, 90, 44 and 34 students enrolled in these programmes respectively.

The HA's Institute of Advanced Allied Health Studies devises structured long-term training plans for allied health staff and runs courses on specialist and multi-disciplinary training, clinical and personal development. These include a three-year in-service training course for new recruits of

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