24-52  Conditions of Public Health
Item	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Number of Registered Healthcare Professionals①(persons)
Doctors
Western Medicine Practitioners	10130	10412	10731	11016	11242
Chinese Medicine Practitioners②	-	-	2385	4738	4986
Dentists	1826	1855	1907	1848*	1896
Pharmacists	1315	1362	1414	1457	1517
Nurses	40388	42032	43383	43782	44402
Western Medicine Practitioners per Thousand Population	1.5	1.5	1.6	1.6	1.6^
Number of Medical Institutions and Hospital Beds
Medical Institutions        (number)	102	99	98	97	98
Hospital Beds                  (beds)	35100	34852	35159	35526	34400
Beds per Thousand Population	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.2	5.0^
Notes: Figures are as at end of the year.
①Statistics on the registered medical personnel are maintained by the Medical Council for western medicine practitioners, Chinese Medical
Council for Chinese medicine practitioners, Dental Council for dentists, Pharmacy and Poisons Board for pharmacists, and Nursing Council
for nurses.Annual renewal of practising certificate is required for western medicine practitioners, dentists and pharmacists, Chinese medicine
practitioners are required to renew the practising certificates each three years. Figures for western medicine practitioners/dentists refer to
the western medicine practitioners/dentists with full registration on both the local and overseas lists. Figures for nurses refer to both registered
nurses and enrolled nurses.
②Figures are available since 2002. They do not include listed Chinese medicine practitioners who can practise lawfully in Hong Kong under
the transitional arrangements for registration of Chinese medicine practitioners until a date to be announced by the Secretary for Health,
Food and Welfare in the Gazette. Listed Chinese medicine practitioners may apply for registration under the requirements of transitional
arrangements.
^ Provisional figure.
*In accordance with Section 15(3) of the Dentists Registered Ordinance, Cap. 156 Laws of Hong Kong, 154 names of registered dentists were
removed from the register in 2003.  Offsetting by 95 new dentists registered in 2003, there was a net decrease of 59 dentists in that year.