Specific commitments

The majority of medical personnel employed by Hong Kong-Mainland joint venture hospitals or clinics can be Hong Kong permanent residents.

The maximum duration of the licence to provide short-term medical, dental and Chinese medicine services in Mainland is 3 years for practitioners who are legally eligible to practise in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. On expiry, the licence for short term practice is renewable.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents, who have acquired a medical degree from the University of Hong Kong, or the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and who are legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong and have completed 1 year internship in Hong Kong, to sit the Mainland's qualification examination. A "medical practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who have acquired a dental degree from the University of Hong Kong and who are legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong and have practised for more than 1 year to sit the Mainland's qualification examination. A "medical (dental) practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents in possession of a medicine higher degree from a full-time tertiary institution approved by the Education Administration Department of the Mainland State Council to sit the Mainland's qualification examination after they have passed the Hong Kong qualification examination, and after they have completed one year of internship and become legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong. A "medical practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents in possession of a dental higher degree from a full-time tertiary institution approved by the Education Administration Department of the Mainland State Council to sit the Mainland's dental qualification examination after they have become legally eligible to practise through examination in Hong Kong and after they have been licensed to practise for over one year. A "medical (dental) practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

Hong Kong permanent residents in possession of a medicine or dental higher degree from a full-time tertiary institution approved by the Education Administration Department of the Mainland State Council may sit the Mainland's qualification examination in accordance with paragraphs 5 and 6 above. They may also sit the Mainland's qualification examination after they have completed one year's internship in the Mainland and passed an assessment in accordance with the relevant requirements. A "medical (or medical (dental)) practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who have acquired a Chinese medicine degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong or the Hong Kong Baptist University and are legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong to sit the Mainland's qualification examination on the condition that they have completed 1 year's internship in a third-level traditional Chinese medicine hospital in the Mainland and have passed the performance test; or that they have been practising in Hong Kong for more than 1 year. A "medical (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who are in possession of a Chinese medicine higher degree from a full-time tertiary institution approved by the Education Administration Department of the Mainland State Council to sit the Mainland's medical qualification examination after they have become legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong for over one year through the Chinese medicine qualification examination for one year. They may also sit the Mainland's medical qualification examination after they have completed one year of internship in the Mainland and passed an assessment in accordance with the relevant requirements. A "medical (traditional Chinese medicine) practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

The categories of medical qualification examinations that Hong Kong permanent residents may apply to sit are clinical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and dental medicine.

Specific commitments

Hong Kong permanent residents who are legally eligible to practise western medicine, dentistry and Chinese medicine in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are not required to sit the Mainland's qualification examination for the purpose of short term practice in the Mainland.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who are legally eligible to practise western medicine and dentistry in Hong Kong to sit the Mainland's qualification examination (excluding Chinese medicine practitioners). A "medical practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who are legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong and have practised in Hong Kong for at least 5 years to open clinics in the Mainland on the condition that they have obtained the "medical practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland. Matters relating to the application for opening and registration of clinics in the Mainland should be handled in accordance with Mainland regulations.

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who have acquired a Chinese medicine degree from the University of Hong Kong and are legally eligible to practise in Hong Kong to sit the Mainland's qualification examination on the condition that they have completed 1 year's internship in a level ¢» traditional Chinese medicine hospital in the Mainland and have passed the performance test, or that they have been licensed to practise in Hong Kong for more than 1 year. A "medical (Chinese medicine) practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland will be issued to those who pass the examination.

Specific commitments

The investment requirement for Hong Kong service suppliers to set up medical institutions in the form of equity joint venture or contractual joint venture in the Mainland is lowered from not less than 20 million RMB to not less than 10 million RMB.

To allow Hong Kong service suppliers who have obtained a "medical practitioner's qualification certificate" of the Mainland to follow the same conditions as are applicable to Mainland practitioners when opening solo clinics.¹ 

Specific commitments

Hong Kong service suppliers are allowed to set up wholly-owned outpatient clinics in Guangdong Province. ²

No restriction is imposed on the ratio of capital investment between Hong Kong service suppliers and Mainland partners in setting up outpatient clinics in the form of equity joint venture or contractual joint venture in Guangdong Province. 

No requirement is imposed on the total investment in setting up outpatient clinics by Hong Kong service suppliers on a wholly-owned, equity joint venture or contractual joint venture basis in Guangdong Province.

The health administrative department at provincial level of Guangdong Province is responsible for the project establishment and approval procedures for setting up outpatient clinics by Hong Kong service suppliers on a wholly-owned, equity joint venture or contractual joint venture basis in Guangdong Province.

Qualified Hong Kong permanent residents with Chinese citizenship are allowed to apply for and obtain the Mainland's "medical practitioner's qualification certificates" through accreditation. ³

Specific commitments

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who are licensed Hong Kong pharmacists and who fulfil the application criteria under the Mainland's Provisional Regulations on Licensed Pharmacists Qualification System (No. 34[1999] of the State Food & Drug Administration) to sit the Mainland's licensed pharmacists qualification examination. Those who pass the examination will be issued the Mainland's "licensed pharmacist's qualification certificate".

To allow Hong Kong permanent residents who are licensed Hong Kong pharmacists, after obtaining the "licensed pharmacist's qualification certificate", to register in accordance with requirements under the Mainland¡¦s Provisional Mechanism for Licensed Pharmacists Registration Management (No. 156[2000] of the State Food and Drug Administration) and under other relevant documents.

To allow Hong Kong service providers to set up medical institutions in the Mainland in the form of equity joint venture or contractual joint venture with foreign investment ratio not exceeding 70%. ⁴

Specific commitments

Hong Kong service suppliers are allowed to set up wholly-owned hospitals in Shanghai Municipality, Chongqing Municipality, Guangdong Province, Fujian Province and Hainan Province.⁵

No requirement is imposed on the total investment in setting up hospitals by Hong Kong service suppliers on an equity joint venture or contractual joint venture basis in Guangdong Province.

No restriction is imposed on the ratio of capital investment between Hong Kong service suppliers and Mainland partners in setting up hospitals in the form of equity joint venture or contractual joint venture in Shanghai Municipality, Chongqing Municipality, Guangdong Province, Fujian Province and Hainan Province.

Statutory healthcare professionals⁶ who are registered to practise in Hong Kong are allowed to provide short-term services in the Mainland. The maximum duration of the licence for short-term practice is 3 years. On expiry, the licence for short term practice is renewable upon a new application.

The health administrative department at the provincial level of Guangdong Province is responsible for the project establishment and approval procedures for setting up medical institutions by Hong Kong service suppliers on an equity joint venture or contractual joint venture basis in Guangdong Province.

Hong Kong service suppliers are allowed to set up convalescent hospitals in the form of wholly-owned, equity joint venture or contractual joint venture to provide medical services in Guangdong Province.⁷

Specific commitments

In addition to Shanghai Municipality, Chongqing Municipality, Guangdong Province, Fujian Province and Hainan Province, Hong Kong service suppliers are allowed to set up wholly-owned hospitals in all municipalities directly under the Central Government and provincial capitals in the Mainland.⁸