Exam time: Hong Kong medical school bids under microscope this week
The three universities competing to establish Hong Kong's third medical school will meet authorities later this week to present details of their proposals, the Post has learned.
Advertisement
The institutions have been flexing their muscles in public ahead of the meeting, with one of the universities announcing on Tuesday that it would partner with a state-owned investment company for its bid.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Baptist University submitted their proposals last month.
Sources said a government task group on the medical school would meet university representatives later in the week.
Authorities earlier said the task group planned to conduct interviews with the contenders in the second quarter to 'gain a better understanding of the proposals for making a consolidated consideration'.
Advertisement
The group is co-chaired by Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau and Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin. Seven experts also serve as advisers, including former Chinese University of Hong Kong president Professor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu and ex-University of Hong Kong president Professor Tsui Lap-chee.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Rethink measures against e-cigarettes for a smoke-free Hong Kong
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification I refer to '70% of Hongkongers under 25 have tried e-cigarettes: university poll' ( May 23 ). While some support a complete ban on alternative smoking products (ASPs), their widespread use is crystal clear evidence that the current ban on selling ASPs is not working. This ban was imposed in 2022 and the tax on tobacco was increased twice, in 2023 and 2024. But between 2021 and 2023, the number of smokers only dropped by 9,200, a decline similar to previous years. With nearly 600,000 smokers remaining, is banning ASPs truly the best way to accelerate the drop in the smoking population and achieve a smoke-free Hong Kong? Around the world, there are more countries that regulate ASPs (more than 80) than ban them. The United Kingdom's 'swap to stop' programme and the United States Food and Drug Administration's authorisation to sell some products as 'modified risk tobacco products' are important examples of a global shift towards pragmatic, science-based solutions.
South China Morning Post
17-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
No time to waste in reducing the rate of smoking in Hong Kong
Smoking rates remain far too high in many communities around the world, where public health systems are left gasping under growing burdens related to ageing populations and climate change. It was good to see Hong Kong authorities take legislative steps recently to reduce smoking in the city further. Advertisement The government's long-awaited anti-smoking bill was introduced for a first reading in the Legislative Council on April 30. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau told lawmakers the measures would be essential to protect public health. The bill would ban the possession and use of alternative smoking products such as e-cigarettes in public. Those who bring illicit cigarettes into the city would face tougher penalties. Some non-smoking areas would be expanded and fines imposed on those caught smoking in queues for public transport or near some building entrances. The government had vowed to pass 10 short-term measures to push the smoking rate below the current 9.1 per cent. Time is running out to reach a goal of 7.8 per cent by this year. While controversial, the move is in the public interest and worth pushing forward. If Legco passes the bill, new laws would go into effect in several stages. Among the earliest would be a New Year's Day implementation of a measure to double fines to HK$3,000 for smoking in prohibited areas. A similar penalty was proposed for offenders under a ban on e-cigarettes to take effect in April 2026. Flavoured tobacco sales and a duty stamp system for cigarettes would start in the second quarter of 2027. Advertisement Lo voiced concern that e-cigarettes and other alternatives were still accessible to young people even though their sale was already banned three years ago. Worryingly, some are found using the devices to abuse the recently banned drug, space oil.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong family happiness score improves for first time in 3 years
Family happiness in Hong Kong has improved for the first time in three years but not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with mental health experts calling for the government to develop family policies using Singapore as a model. HK. WeCARE, a concern group under Wofoo Social Enterprises, revealed on Thursday the findings of an annual study in March that the city's family happiness index was 6.91 out of 10, an improvement from 6.43 last year but lower than the 7.26 in 2021. The research showed that families with children between six to 12 years old were the least happy, which could be attributed to stressful environments in primary schools, according to mental health experts. 'There may be two reasons for the rise in the index. First, it is that the economy is picking up. Another reason is that families are gradually adapting to the post-pandemic [environment],' Daniel Shek Tan-Lei, associate vice-president of Polytechnic University, said. Shek, also former chairman of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau's Family Council, noted the need for better family policies in Hong Kong and mentioned Singapore as a model. 'In Singapore, they have the Ministry of Social and Family Development. I think they are smart, because they know that when families aren't doing well, society is not going to do well also,' he said. The research collected 1,117 questionnaires comprising 76 questions, through online and face-to-face interviews. About 66.8 per cent of respondents reported a rating of seven and above in the overall family happiness score, compared with 55.7 per cent last year.
