Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Thursday said Hong Kong’s planned third medical school could be modelled on the American system and focus on admitting students with bachelor’s degrees.

In his latest Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee said the administration would support local universities in establishing a third medical school in the SAR to increase doctor numbers. Authorities would also reserve a site in the Northern Metropolis for the facility.

In an exclusive interview with RTHK, Lo said the new medical school should be innovative in its operations, including on funding and admissions.

He said the institution could reference the American medical school curriculum, which usually lasts for four years and admits those with an undergraduate degree.

"This would give us another avenue for admission, because some students were initially undecided about whether they wanted to become a doctor. They might study for a degree first, before realising they really wanted to study medicine. There are other benefits too, such as the students being more mature," Lo said.

The health chief also said there should be a minimum number of students when the new medical school opens.

“The number of students cannot be too low, or else it will not be cost-effective... Normally speaking, a medical school of the smallest scale would have 50 students as a starting point," Lo said.

He added the new institution and a hospital for teaching and research in Ngau Tam Mei, a rural village in Yuen Long, could possibly cover 2.5 million people in the new development area.