Licentiate of the Medical Council of Hong Kong

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Licentiate of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (LMCHK) is a medical license issued by the Medical Council of Hong Kong to doctors that have graduated from medical schools outside of Hong Kong and have met the requirements for such licensure in Hong Kong. The Medical Council of Hong Kong requires that these non-locally graduated doctors display the LMCHK qualification as a post-nominal title first, before listing any other quotable qualifications, such as MD or MBBS. [1] The LMCHK are represented by the Licentiate Society, an independent, non-profit organization.

Contents

History

Prior to the 1997 handover, graduates of non-Commonwealth jurisdictions had to obtain the LMCHK medical license before being eligible to practice medicine in Hong Kong. During this Colonial era, doctors of Commonwealth countries were automatically granted registration by the MCHK without taking an examination or undergoing a internship or other period of assessment. A few hundred of the Colonial doctors remain in practice in Hong Kong today. Since 1997, all non-locally trained doctors have to obtain the LMCHK medical license from the MCHK. Consequently, the countries of origin of the LMCHK doctors have changed dramatically in the last 20 years; the group is now much more diverse.

Aims

A key facet of the attaining the LMCHK is passing the Hong Kong Medical Licensing Examination (HKMLE). According to the Medical Registration Ordinance, the purpose of passing the HKMLE shows the achievement of a standard acceptable for registration as a medical practitioner in Hong Kong. [2]

Process

The process involves assessment of the doctors’ medical education and professional knowledge, and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the Medical Council of Hong Kong. [3] To be awarded the LMCHK designation, the doctors must pass the rigorous HKMLE and undergo a period of assessment. [4] [5]

To start the process of attaining LMCHK from the Medical Council of Hong Kong, doctors must apply after having fulfilled at least 5 years of non-local medical training, including having graduated from an accredited medical school outside of Hong Kong and completed an internship in a hospital. [6]

Once attained, the LMCHK designation allows holders of the qualification to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong. LMCHK doctors must thus be both licensed and registered to practice medicine in Hong Kong. In contrast, graduates of HKU and CUHK are eligible to directly register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong after internship by virtue of their local medical school degree without having to first seek a medical license.

Society

The rigorous requirements for LMCHK doctors and their increasing numbers has fostered a camaraderie among them. In 2017, the LMCHK doctors founded a non-profit, professional association called The Medical Licentiate Society of Hong Kong (Licentiate Society) to represent them and to meet their group's professional needs.

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Licentiate may refer to:

The Hong Kong Medical Licensing Examination (HKMLE) is a required assessment for doctors that graduated from medical schools outside of Hong Kong and forms part of the pathway to medical licensure in Hong Kong. The HKMLE is stipulated by the Medical Registration Ordinance. The HKMLE is held twice per year. The HKMLE is occasionally referred to by its official name the Licensing Examination of the Medical Council of Hong Kong. Candidates for the HKMLE are supported by an independent, non-profit professional body, known as the Licentiate Society. Graduates of local medical schools in Hong Kong, i.e., HKU and CUHK, are currently exempt from the HKMLE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical Licentiate Society of Hong Kong</span>

The Medical Licentiate Society of Hong Kong is an independent, non-profit, recognized professional body representing doctors that have graduated from medical schools outside of Hong Kong and that have attained medical licensure in Hong Kong. The group was founded in 2017 and incorporated in 2019. It has offices in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It is the only incorporated organization dedicated to such doctors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Association of Licentiates of Medical Council of Hong Kong</span> Professional medical organisation

The Association of Licentiates of Medical Council of Hong Kong (ALMCHK) is an independent, non-profit, professional medical organisation established in 1995 representing the licentiate doctors in Hong Kong. It is the first of its kind designated for all non-local graduated licentiate doctors in Hong Kong. Membership are designated to registered doctors in Hong Kong who obtained LMCHK. The primary objective is to safeguard the welfare and rights of licentiates doctors. It is also one the few CME programme providers accredited by the Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK).

References

  1. ↑ "Guidelines on Quoting of Qualifications" (PDF). mchk.org.hk. Medical Council of Hong Kong. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "Hong Kong e-Legislation". www.elegislation.gov.hk. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
  3. ↑ "Licensing Examination Information Portal". Licensing Examination Information Portal. Medical Council of Hong Kong. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "Medical Council removes hurdle for foreign doctors". rthk.hk. RTHK. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "Foreign doctor finds Hong Kong medical system can be too tough". scmp.com. South China Morning Post. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "Eligibility for taking Licensing Examination". Hong Kong e-Legislation, the official database of Hong Kong legislation. The Government of the Hong Kong SAR. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
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