The Government announced that the Task Group on New Medical School has received a total of three proposals for the establishment of the third medical school by today's deadline for submissions.

The proposals were submitted by Hong Kong Baptist University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.

The task group will proceed to the next stage of work to evaluate the proposals according to the devised parameters, having agreed to adopt a holistic and comprehensive approach for evaluating the proposals submitted by universities from various perspectives.

This is in accordance with 10 key parameters, including innovative strategic positioning, curriculum structure and assessment methodologies, and financial sustainability.

Expert advisers and other group members will conduct an in-depth evaluation of the proposals in their areas of expertise. The task group plans to conduct interviews within the second quarter of this year with the universities concerned to gain a better understanding of their proposals for making a consolidated consideration.

The task group is expected to complete the evaluation and recommend to the Government within this year a proposal that could nurture more talented medical practitioners in support of the high quality development of the local healthcare service system, while aligning with the development of Hong Kong into an international medical training, research and innovation hub.