Fully prepared for the first overseas recruitment event

The recruitment event in London in April was the first-of-its-kind held by the Hospital Authority (HA). HA hoped to deliver our sincerity to non-locally trained physicians so that they would be attracted to the public healthcare system in Hong Kong. It took just over a month from preparation to implementation. The Medical Grade, the Human Resources Division and the Corporate Communication Department of HA Head Office worked against time to make full preparations for the trip. In particular, as this was the first time that the conditional offer would be issued on site, the Legal Services Department also provided valuable advice on the document in advance to ensure that the recruitment procedure was sound and proper.

Working late into the night

After arrival in London, Chief Executive Dr Tony Ko, together with four colleagues from the Medical Grade and Human Resources Division, visited the venue. The event was held for two consecutive days and attracted 610 participants both online and offline. Dr Gladys Kwan, Chief Manager (Medical Grade), communicated with the on-site participants and Dr Catherine Chong, Senior Manager (Medical Grade), and colleagues of the Human Resources Division in Hong Kong, conducted online meetings with doctors who were unable to attend the event in person.

The recruitment event was held from 9am to 5pm, UK time. The seven-hour time zone difference between Hong Kong and London meant that the staff members of the Medical Grade and the Human Resources Division who provided support in Hong Kong had to work until midnight for two consecutive nights over the weekend, which was quite a challenge.

Most participants were concerned about the availability of specialist training opportunities upon return to Hong Kong. Many participants were couples and some doctors who were from Hong Kong were bringing back their other half whom they met while studying medicine in the UK. The HA gave 110 conditional offers at the event, and around 70 participants would come to Hong Kong in the near future.