Hong Kong News
Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
Real, Diverse, Unbiased.
Doc shrugs off anti-strike fears
Medical Conscience chairman David Lam Tzit-yuen, who is considering running in the medical and health services sector in the Legco elections, said he is confident he will gain support from medical workers despite his objecting to their strike last year.
Lam said he is still trying to get nominations from different sectors of the Election Committee and believes he can obtain enough nominations by this weekend.
In an interview with The Standard, Lam said: "Everyone knows my political stance. After I objected to the medical workers' strike last year, I can no longer change my colors."
"I believe I can convince most colleagues by doing practical work," he said, adding he wants to push the development of the primary care system and district health centers.
He added that solving long-term problems in the medical sector is more important than chanting political slogans.
Lam believes the medical sector is united and doctors with different political opinions can still cooperate with each other.
"I believe that people who can become doctors are independent thinkers, so I'm not so worried that many colleagues will only stick to their political camp," he said.
Lam also said he will not support all of the government's decisions.
"I am a member of the Tianjin municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, so what? It doesn't mean that I will support the government blindly," Lam said.
He added that he wants to hear frontline medical workers' opinions and reflect their demands to the legislature if he is elected.
He will also adopt a different approach by focusing on structural problems, unlike incumbent medical sector lawmaker Pierre Chan Pui-yin.
"I will review the government's decisions from a macro-framework instead of only reacting to each of their policies," Lam said.
But he added that Chan has done a good job as a lawmaker.
Lam also supports introducing non-locally trained doctors to work in the city, as the new policy will allow more Hongkongers to become doctors after studying in the mainland or overseas.
He said: "Some colleagues said they are most afraid of mainland doctors coming to Hong Kong, but what's wrong with mainland doctors?
"Why can American doctors come to Hong Kong but not mainland doctors? This is discriminatory."
In an interview with The Standard, Lam said: "Everyone knows my political stance. After I objected to the medical workers' strike last year, I can no longer change my colors."
"I believe I can convince most colleagues by doing practical work," he said, adding he wants to push the development of the primary care system and district health centers.
He added that solving long-term problems in the medical sector is more important than chanting political slogans.
Lam believes the medical sector is united and doctors with different political opinions can still cooperate with each other.
"I believe that people who can become doctors are independent thinkers, so I'm not so worried that many colleagues will only stick to their political camp," he said.
Lam also said he will not support all of the government's decisions.
"I am a member of the Tianjin municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, so what? It doesn't mean that I will support the government blindly," Lam said.
He added that he wants to hear frontline medical workers' opinions and reflect their demands to the legislature if he is elected.
He will also adopt a different approach by focusing on structural problems, unlike incumbent medical sector lawmaker Pierre Chan Pui-yin.
"I will review the government's decisions from a macro-framework instead of only reacting to each of their policies," Lam said.
But he added that Chan has done a good job as a lawmaker.
Lam also supports introducing non-locally trained doctors to work in the city, as the new policy will allow more Hongkongers to become doctors after studying in the mainland or overseas.
He said: "Some colleagues said they are most afraid of mainland doctors coming to Hong Kong, but what's wrong with mainland doctors?
"Why can American doctors come to Hong Kong but not mainland doctors? This is discriminatory."
