This message was written on my way back to Hong Kong from Syracuse, after my short visit to my daughter studying in the States. With the outdoor temperature well below –25 degree Celsius, heavy snow storms thundered over both the airport of Syracuse and the inter-connecting O’hare International Airport of Chicago when my plane took off. The weather was indeed dull and gloomy. People around just the same. Students in the States, especially those from Hong Kong, were no better off than their counterparts in Hong Kong and worse, they were away from their parents, their families, their friends and Hong Kong. The golden age of jobs finding graduates of “Ivy League” Universities were gone and the chance for students getting a job after graduation is slim. Most graduates are left with nothing to do but to find another course of study after commencement.
As reported in the headlines of newspapers in the States, doctors in the States are not much better off than students. They went to the streets protesting against the tremendous cost for Medical Malpractice Indemnity. They are facing a medical malpractice crisis that is driving insurance so high that some doctors are leaving their practices. The causes, they say, are frivolous lawsuits and runaway jury awards. So, it does not matter where you are, it does not matter what your profession or job is, the future in front is gloomy in such period of global economic recession.
While in the States, I find the following messages in the web site of some medical organization in Hong Kong:
“I lost all the money in the property market. My career had no improvement since 1997 and in the coming years. The salary went down and will go down again and again, property price continues to drop and the extent is more than the amount I paid. Even worse, if I lost my job or I have my salary cut by 20%, I will bankrupt within 3 months! What should I do???”
“Which one should be responsible for the present difficult situation? WHO? EK? Mr. Tung? Medical schools? Permanent staffs? Contract staffs? Public?”
Similar to private doctors, our public colleagues are facing the same financial problem. So, who is at fault? You? Me? Or the HKSAR Government? Who is to be blamed? Some may point their fingers to the highest authority. Some may try to contribute to solve such problem of the century in Hong Kong. No matter what people are doing, no one wants to be sacrificed, and no one wants to be sacrificed alone.
From the measures that have been taken against Hong Kong doctors like up shooting of the Estate Clinic Rental, sharp rise in the fee for Medical Protection, never ending complaints from patients, enormous middleman exploitation by HMOs, uncertain Job future for those young Contract Doctors in the Hospital Authority to the recent announcement by our Financial Secretary on the increase in salary and profit tax, decrease tax allowances etc., we doctors are defeated in all fronts by lots of key players and interested parties.
Unlike the working classes who have plenty of representatives speaking fiercely about their rights and concerns to the Government, and unlike the tycoons who can influence the authority easily, we doctors, belonging to the so called middle class, are being sandwiched and are seldom represented. There is no strong voice out there to bargain with the Government for us on issues that affect our livelihoods like the first time tax imposed on domestic helpers, upsurge in first registration tax for new cars and our proposal of tax exemption for medical expenses and expenditure in continuing medical education. We are the ones who pay the most and receive the least.
Shall we now start to think to organize a body with other professionals to represent our middle class? Shall we figure out measures to influence the Government like the other two classes of the community? Some members have suggested to me that it may be the right time for us to say not only for doctors but be socially conscious to speak about things around us that have great impact on how Hong Kong people live.
To find one's way out is not easy if we are scattered! If nothing to be done, would our future be just a mess of dead water?
Dr. Yeung Chiu Fat Henry
這份通訊是我剛與在美國留學的女兒短聚後，由 Syracuse 返港途中寫的。飛機起飛時，氣溫低至攝氏零下廿五度，Syracuse 機場與芝加哥的奧哈拉國際機場正刮著大風雪，天氣像周遭的人一樣沉悶灰暗。現今的美國學生、尤其是從香港來的留學生，生活並不比香港學生好，情況反而更糟；他們身在異鄉，遠離在港的父母親友。美國著名大學畢業生的黃金時期已過去，畢業後能找份工作的機會很微。大部份畢業生只好在新學年，再找另一個課程上課。
正如美國報紙頭條新聞報導，美國醫生也不比大學生來得好。他們上街去抗議醫生專業保險高昂的保費。他們正面對著醫療失誤訴訟的危機，專業保費被抬得比天高，令到有些醫生索性不幹了。起因是那些小題大做的訴訟及天文數字般的賠款。所以不論你身在何處，做甚麼職業，在世界經濟衰退潮下，前景仍是一片暗淡。
在美國時，我從一些香港醫學界的網址上找到下列訊息：
"我在地產市場中失去所有積蓄，我的事業自1997年以來全無起息。薪水只會越降越低。樓價繼續下跌，跌幅比我能付出的更多。更糟的是我若失業或薪水再減兩成，我便會在三個月內破產﹗我可以怎樣做？？？"
"這困境是由誰做成的？那一個？E.K.？董生？醫學院？永久僱員？合約僱員？公眾？"
可見公家醫生同私家醫生一樣，正面對同樣的經濟問題。是誰做錯了？你？我？又或是香港特區政府？歸咎何人？有些人可能將矛頭指向最高執權者。有些人則獻身去協助解決問題，無論做什麼事也好，沒有人想被犧牲，更沒有人想做唯一的犧牲品。
從各種針對香港醫生的行動看，如公共屋邨診所租金急升，醫生專業保險保費急劇增加，病人無時無刻的投訴，HMO中間人龐大的剝削，醫管局年青醫生面對的不明朗前景，以致最近財政司司長宣佈的增加薪俸稅與利得稅，削減免稅額等，我們醫生正四面楚歌，備受不少權貴和利益集團的圍攻。
工人階級有許多代表向政府替他們爭取權益，巨賈很容易左右政府的決策，我們醫生只可當作所謂中產，是夾心階層，代表我們者廖廖可數，從來沒有一個強而有力的聲音去向政府替我們的生計問題討價還價，如史無前例的外傭稅、新車登記稅的劇增，及我們所建議的醫療費用及進修費用免稅額等。其實我們是付出最多、而獲得最少的一群。
我們應否與其他專業人士合組一個團體去代表中產呢？應否像上述的兩個階層一樣想辦法去影響政府的決策？有人說現在是適當時機跳出只顧替醫生說話的框框，而是以社會良知對周圍事物和香港民生有重大影響的事件作出回應。
若各自為政，我們很難走出困境！如果闊佬懶理，請問我們的前途可會是一潭死水？
楊超發醫生