Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said establishing Hong Kong's third medical school will be a huge task with very important implications for the future for the city's medical education, and stressed that the Government welcomes institutes to submit proposals for the new medical school's development.
 
While elaborating on the healthcare related measures announced in yesterday’s Policy Address at a press conference today, Prof Lo highlighted that establishing a third medical school will cultivate a positive outcome for the city's sustainable healthcare service, its high-quality service, as well as its planned mission for a medical innovation hub.
 
Apart from pointing out that the Government is open to any proposal, he explained that it also has to be very cautious when it comes to planning for the new medical school.
 
“It involves a lot of resource implications, not just in term of finance, but in the teaching hospital, the faculty facilities. One of the areas is in the piece of land and the potential teaching hospital.
 
“We are mindful that in Hong Kong, we are short of space, land. Of course, we would welcome the institutes which submit proposals for the development of this new medical school to provide us with a proposal as to how they can start the medical school, what time, the timeline of this plan. Of course, the major issue that we have to consider is the campus, as well as the teaching hospital.
 
“The institutes that would propose the new medical school can certainly explore other opportunities and possibilities. For example, they can consider any existing hospitals as teaching hospitals or they can find alternative sites to build the campus.”
 
The health chief added that setting up the new medical school's campus and teaching hospital in the Northern Metropolis's Ngau Tam Mei could be a long-term plan, and institutes can consider some temporary facilities in their proposals.