Overseas Physicians Best Medicine for Doctors’s Shortage?
Plans to allow overseas-qualified doctors to work in Hong Kong's public hospitals under a limited registration system have come under fire from local doctors' groups who say the scheme could affect the quality of medical care provided. The critics are unhappy doctors under the scheme will be exempted from taking a licensing exam.
No Solution in Sight for Pensioners’ Plight
Many of the patients who use public healthcare services are elderly. To try to relieve the pressure on the public system the government recently extended the elderly healthcare voucher scheme and doubled the amount offered. But as Varsity discovers, many elderly people still find the vouchers inadequate and hard to use.
March 2012 – The Language War
Under the Hong Kong government's policy of trilingualism and biliteracy, Cantonese, English and Putonghua are meant to be of equal importance. But in reality,...
Defending Cantonese
Hong Kongers take inspiration from pro-Cantonese movement in Guangdong and stand up to defend their mother tongue from encroachment from Putonghua.
Parents Opt for English
Meet the local Cantonese-speaking parents who will only speak to their children. They say they want their kids to have a head-start. But experts tell Varsity kids have more to gain from a multilingual environment.
Putonghua – a better way to learn?
As more and more schools teach Chinese in Putonghua, teachers, parents and students tell Varsity whether they think it's a better way to learn.
December 2011 – Forgotten but not gone
The December 2011 issue of Varsity looks at groups and issues that were once highly visible in Hong Kong, but have since faded from...
White Sun Sets in Hong Kong
People and groups loyal to the Communist mainland and Nationalist Taiwan used to battle for influence in colonial Hong Kong. But as the economic and political clout of the People's Republic China has risen, support for the Kuomintang cause has waned. The KMT presence has become even more low-key after 1997 but Varsity finds there are still nationalist die-hards in the S.A.R.
Once We Were Warriors
Hong Kong's Nepalese population has grown rapidly over the past two decades. Most Nepalis here are the children of former Gurkha soldiers who were responsible for Hong Kong's security during the colonial years. Many of ex-soldiers have retired to Nepal or moved to the UK, but their children have decided to make Hong Kong their home. Varsity learns about some of the problems they face.
Living in Limbo
Most people associate refugees and asylum-seekers in Hong Kong with the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese boat people who sought safety here. But there are currently hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers who in Hong Kong who have fled conflict and persecution back home. Varsity hears about their struggles under the government's current refugee policy.
