Hong Kong says overseas-trained nurses remain tiny minority
SCMP · 1 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong health authorities have released new staffing figures as a dispute grows with a nursing union over whether local graduates are being sidelined in recruitment. Officials said fewer than 0.5 per cent of all registered nurses were trained outside the city by the end of last year, while 99.8 per cent of registered nurses working for the Hospital Authority were locally trained . The government also said only about 50 non-locally trained registered nurses were serving in public hospitals, accounting for less than 0.2 per cent of the authority’s nursing workforce . The figures were published after the Association of Hong Kong Nursing Staff issued five demands on Saturday, including a call to prioritise local graduates in hiring .
Key Points
- A government spokesman said non-locally trained registered nurses admitted through limited and special registration pathways made up less than 0.5 per cent overall .
- The spokesman said about 99.8 per cent of registered nurses serving in the Hospital Authority were locally trained, underscoring their dominance in public hospitals .
- Authorities said about 50 non-locally trained registered nurses were working in public hospitals, representing less than 0.2 per cent of the Hospital Authority workforce .
- The latest figures were released on Tuesday after the health minister repeatedly rejected claims that mainland Chinese nurses were favoured over local candidates .
- On September 17, callers to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s radio phone-in said they were struggling to find work and alleged recruitment quotas for mainland nurses .
Why It Matters
The dispute goes beyond headline percentages because it touches directly on how new nursing graduates and experienced local staff view their job prospects in Hong Kong’s public healthcare system. The government’s response suggests it wants the debate over healthcare manpower to be driven by official data rather than anecdotal claims, while also acknowledging recruitment pressure in both public and private hospitals .