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Ensuring Justice, Maintaining Professionalism, Protecting the Public

Registration of Medical Practitioners

Registration Requirements

Special Registration (Part V of the General Register)

According to section 14C(3) of the Medical Registration Ordinance, a person may apply for special registration if:

(a)
the person is a specified person;
(b)
the person has been selected for full-time employment as a medical practitioner with special registration in a specified institution; and
(c)
the person is of good character and has good professional conduct.

Pursuant to section 14C(10) of the Medical Registration Ordinance, “specified person” means a person who falls within any of the following descriptions—

(a) the person—
(i)
holds a recognized medical qualification;
(ii)
is registered under the law of a qualifying place as a medical practitioner in that place; and
(iii)
for a person who is not a Hong Kong permanent resident—
(A)
has been awarded a Fellowship of the Academy of Medicine in a specialty, or has been certified by the Academy of Medicine to have completed the training, and obtained the qualification, comparable to that required of a Fellow in a specialty by the Academy; and
(B)
has been certified by the Academy of Medicine to have satisfied the continuing medical education requirements for the specialty;
(b) the person—
(i)
took the Licensing Examination as a person described in section 7A(1)(b)(ii), and has passed the Licensing Examination; and
(ii)
has completed the period of assessment required under section 10A;
(c) the person—
(i)
has been engaged in full-time employment as a medical practitioner with limited registration in one or more than one specified institution for a total of at least 5 years;
(ii)
has been awarded a Fellowship of the Academy of Medicine in a specialty, or has been certified by the Academy of Medicine to have completed the training, and obtained the qualification, comparable to that required of a Fellow in a specialty by the Academy; and
(iii)
has been certified by the Academy of Medicine to have satisfied the continuing medical education requirements for the specialty.

Pursuant to section 14D of the MRO, the meaning of “recognized medical qualification” is as follows—

(1)
For the purposes of paragraph (a) of the definition of specified person in section 14C(10), if, on the date a person enrols on a programme that leads to the award of a medical qualification by a body (material date)—
(a)
that qualification is one specified in column 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 1A; and
(b)
that body is one specified in column 3 of that Part opposite that qualification,
that qualification is, in relation to the person, a recognized medical qualification, and any place that on the material date is specified in column 2 of that Part is, in relation to the person, a qualifying place.
(2)
Also, for the purposes of paragraph (a) of the definition of specified person in section 14C(10), if—
(a)
before the commencement date of the first notice, a person has already completed (or has already enrolled on, but yet to complete) a programme that leads to the award of a medical qualification by a body (qualifying programme);
(b)
that qualification is one specified in column 4 of Part 2 of Schedule 1A, and that body is one specified in column 3 of that Part opposite that qualification; and
(c)
if a year is specified in column 5 of that Part opposite that qualification—the person enrolled on the qualifying programme in or after that year,
that qualification is, in relation to the person, a recognized medical qualification, and any place specified in column 2 of that Part is, in relation to the person, a qualifying place.
(3)
In subsection (2)—
first notice (首份公告) means the notice published under section 14H(a) to amend Part 2 of Schedule 1A for the first time.
For the list of “recognized medical qualifications”, please take note of the announcement of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
(https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202406/26/P2024062600206.htm) and refer to the Council’s website (https://www.mchk.org.hk/english/registration/recognised_medical_qualifications.html).