In a bold move to address a mounting staffing crisis, Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has extended conditional job offers to around 200 non-locally trained nurses, tapping into a new talent pool to bolster its workforce.
The announcement, made by HA Chairman Henry Fan on Monday, comes as public hospitals in the city have lost 314 nurses over the past 12 months, underscoring the acute need for reinforcements.
“The response from applicants has been quite enthusiastic,” Fan told reporters after an HA board meeting. “We have already received a significant number of job applications from nurses trained outside of Hong Kong.”
The hiring push follows legislation passed by the city’s legislature in July, which opened a new pathway for non-locally trained nurses to practice in the special administrative region without the need to pass local licensing exams.
Fan said the HA has been actively recruiting from the mainland, as well as from Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, in a bid to fill the widening gap.
“After our initial screening, we have identified around 200 applicants whose backgrounds and qualifications meet the requirements of the Hospital Authority,” he said, adding that conditional offers have been extended to this pool of candidates.
However, the HA is placing a premium on language skills, with Fan stating that priority will be given to those who speak Cantonese to ensure seamless service quality at public healthcare facilities.
The move underscores the challenges facing Hong Kong’s healthcare system, which has long grappled with staffing shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. By tapping into the global talent pool, the HA hopes to alleviate the strain and maintain the city’s standards of patient care.
As the conditional offers are processed, all eyes will be on whether this bold recruitment drive can provide a much-needed boost to Hong Kong’s public hospitals in the months ahead.
