Hong Kong’s first batch of locally trained vets to be allowed to practise in city after university programme receives international recognition
- City University says its veterinary medicine programme has been recognised by Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and Australasian Veterinary Boards Council
- Cohort of 11 students set to graduate and receive their results next month
Hong Kong’s first batch of locally trained veterinary surgeons will be allowed to practise in the city as its only undergraduate programme teaching animal medicine has been recognised by two international bodies.
City University on Monday said its Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences had secured accreditation from both Britain’s Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council, representing Australia and New Zealand, for its six-year bachelor programme.
The university said it was the first veterinary medicine bachelor programme in Asia to receive recognition from both regulatory bodies.
The cohort of 11 students was set to graduate and obtain their local registration next month, college dean Vanessa Barrs said.
“Through this milestone, City University’s veterinary school is now a full member of a network of the world’s top schools that are committed to achieving and maintaining standards of veterinary education,” Barrs said.
“With the increasing emergence of zoonotic diseases, such as Covid-19, the bachelor of veterinary medicine programme also equips future veterinary surgeons with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively address global health challenges.”
Ching Pak-chung, chairman of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong, said the bachelor programme would be recognised as a qualification to practise in the city following the accreditation.
