Press Releases

SFH on Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2016

Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, after attending a radio programme today (July 16):

Reporter: (about what the Government will do after the bill lapsed)

Secretary for Food and Health: I think the most important thing for the Government to do is to look forward and to do whatever we can. First is to amend the apparently broken relationship between the patient advocates and the medical sector. We will set up a tripartite platform for different stakeholders including doctor representatives. Apart from furthering the understanding among different parties, we also hope to gather constructive views on how to improve the operation of the Hong Kong Medical Council (HKMC) before a new reform can be put forward.

Reporter: Are you planning to put forward the same bill in the next legislative session and do you foresee the bill can be passed?

Secretary for Food and Health: Indeed there are proposals from some representatives of the medical sector and some Legislative Councillors that we should, after further negotiation and getting consensus regarding the controversial part of the current Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2016, put forth the bill to the new legislature as soon as possible. They hope that it would be passed very soon. I am not very optimistic about this although I will still listen to the opinions of the new (term of the) Legislative Council. The current proposals carried by the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2016 are rather moderate. Even that, these proposals met with fierce objection from the medical sector. Therefore, I would not underestimate the difficulty in obtaining consensus, especially regarding the composition of the HKMC, within a few months’ time.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Saturday, July 16, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:05
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