{
  "id": 9712062,
  "title": "Health chief rejects claims Chinese nurses are favoured over local candidates",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/health-chief-rejects-claims-chinese-nurses-are-favoured-over-local-9712062",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-25T05:55:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post-hong-kong",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3368770/health-chief-rejects-claims-chinese-nurses-are-favoured-over-local-candidates"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hong Kong’s health minister has dismissed accusations that the government prefers mainland nurses over local candidates, stating that locally trained professionals have a high likelihood of securing employment, even as public hospitals face challenges in hiring. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau disclosed on Friday that the Hospital Authority had hired 95% of local applicants for nursing positions over the past year, with the proportion rising to 99% among those possessing registered nurse credentials. Over 4,000 nursing graduates have emerged, with roughly 3,500 registering as nurses, but only 2,500 applied for vacancies within the Hospital Authority. Lo pointed out, during a radio show, that the real issue lies in why many graduates opt not to apply for public hospital jobs. \"Public hospital nurses must work on shifts and be on duty overnight, which is challenging, and I fully comprehend that,\" he noted. Lo's comments came in response to two residents who mentioned to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, after his latest policy address, that nurses were struggling to find work. These residents blamed the government's recruitment of non-local nurses for diminishing job opportunities for Hong Kong residents. One caller, a pre-retirement psychiatric nurse, expressed disappointment over his application to extend employment being rejected despite severe staffing shortages in his department. He also mentioned his daughter, who had pursued the same field of study, facing joblessness after graduation. He suggested an \"unwritten rule\" at the Hospital Authority to reserve a portion of recruitment quotas for mainland nurses, criticizing the government for not prioritizing local candidates. Lo affirmed that the authority would never hire non-local psychiatric nurses, emphasizing that \"all locally trained psychiatric nurses have a very good chance of being hired.\" When reviewing the nursing sector's manpower, Lo stressed that the focus should not be on individual cases where individuals cannot find their desired jobs as a reference for the overall situation. Instead, the situation should be viewed from a citywide medical service perspective and the needs of residents. Lo expressed confidence that Hong Kong would meet its target of 2.43 doctors per 1,000 residents by 2030, as outlined in the city's first five-year plan, alongside the policy address. The city now admits 650 students annually to its two medical schools, more than double the number in the 2009-10 academic year. With the inclusion of additional non-locally trained doctors in the workforce, Lo projected that Hong Kong would have 2,000 more doctors by 2030. Currently, non-locally trained doctors comprise approximately 2% of the total workforce, with the majority employed in public hospitals and universities.",
  "summary": "Hong Kong’s health minister has rejected claims that authorities favour mainland nurses over local candidates, saying locally trained professionals have “very good chances” of finding work even as public hospitals struggle to recruit. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday that the Hospital Authority had hired 95 per cent of local applicants for nursing positions over the past year. The…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Health chief rejects claims Chinese nurses are favoured over local candidates",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/health-chief-rejects-claims-chinese-nurses-are-favoured-over-local",
        "published": "2026-09-25T05:55:28.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}