Eastern District health center set to open in H2

The health center in the Eastern District is expected to open in the second half of the year, with Kuok Cheong U, deputy director of the Health Bureau (SSM), noting that the exact timing will depend on when residents move into Zone A of Macau’s new landfills.

“We will also take into account that, while Macau has gained an additional district, the overall population is expected to remain stable and not experience a sudden surge,” said Kuok during a Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary session earlier this week.

He added that his bureau will adjust its human resource allocation based on actual patient numbers and will consider increasing the recruitment of medical staff as necessary.

The remarks were made in response to lawmaker Leong Hong Sai’s concerns about whether the authorities would tackle future employment pressures faced by medical graduates.

During the AL session, Leong urged the implementation of timely and reasonable measures, including increasing job positions for local medical graduates and reducing the workload and stress of doctors in the current public healthcare system – especially considering the healthcare center being constructed in Zone A.

On the issue of medical assistants, the health vice-chief explained, “Being a medical assistant is not the ultimate goal for all medical graduates, but rather a starting point.”

Referencing the government’s principle of prioritizing the employment of local residents, he reiterated that external recruitment would only be considered in cases of specialist shortages in certain fields, such as traditional Chinese medicine, or when hospitals need to develop new technologies to promote academic exchange.

“Our goal in recruiting talented professionals is not only to have them work here, but also to retain their skills and train others,” Kuok emphasized.

He concluded by stating that the Health Bureau and the Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital will continue their collaboration and hold regular training sessions for doctors to cultivate a talent pool for future medical students and healthcare teams.

He further stated that the Health Bureau will continue to assess social needs and advancements in medical technology, including developments related to traditional Chinese medicine, to ensure the stability of Macau’s medical workforce and the smooth delivery of services.

Lawmaker Lo Choi In pressed the government for specific measures to support young medical personnel and integrate them into the broader national development framework.

In response, the health vice-chief outlined several initiatives, including increasing the amount of medical vouchers, launching a chronic disease screening program, and establishing a family medicine training center to provide systematic training for doctors from both public and private medical institutions.

Additionally, according to him, efforts are underway to encourage medical service institutions in Macau to invest in establishing facilities in the Hengqin-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and elsewhere in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

Furthermore, collaborations with mainland universities will be explored to offer more professional training and employment opportunities.