Lo Chung-mau: New medical school may refer to 4-year American curriculum, centralize admission of second-degree students
It is mentioned in the Policy Address that the government supports local universities to plan for the establishment of a third medical school. Recently, the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said in a media interview that the current medical curriculum in Hong Kong was six years, and he considered that the third medical school might refer to the four-year American curriculum, which was mainly for second-degree students, who did not have to take the general foundation courses.
Lo estimated that at least 50 students should be admitted as a starting point for the operation of the new medical school, otherwise, it might not be cost-effective, and the number of students might be suitably increased in accordance with the needs thereafter.
As to why the site in Ngau Tam Mei, Northern Metropolis is reserved for the development of a new medical school and a new polyclinic, Lo explained that the medical school and the main campus of the university must be near each other in order to facilitate clinical teaching and learning, but it is not easy for Hong Kong to find a suitable site for the construction of a new faculty of medicine at present. Considering that the population of the Northern Metropolis area will grow significantly in the future, there will be hospitals in the vicinity to provide services; and there will be a university education city in the future, which is a more reasonable match.
Lo emphasized that in order to maintain the high quality of the new medical school, without diluting the resources of the two existing medical schools, the new medical school should have a staggered development, so as to innovate its mode of operation. For example, whether it is not necessary for the government to be responsible for all the funding; whether it is possible to use other ways to raise funds, and even the fees of the students and the source of the professors, etc., there can be many new ways.
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Policy Address 2024 | Lo Chung-mau: Decision on new medical school to be made by end of next year
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