Hong Kong’s Medical Council to review termination of paediatric blunder inquiry
November 22 review comes in light of related case report that had not been presented to inquiry panel during last hearing
Hong Kong’s Medical Council will look into its decision to terminate an inquiry into a paediatrician accused of a medical blunder that left a child with cerebral palsy and quadriplegia, after the city’s health chief ordered a review of its disciplinary mechanism.
The council on Monday said it would review the decision it made last week to order a stay of proceedings against paediatrician Sit Sou-chi, who was accused of a medical blunder in Baptist Hospital on December 22, 2009.
The decision was made due to an 8½-year procedural delay by its secretariat, sparking outrage from the child’s parents, who condemned it as “unjust and irresponsible” and demanded that the council overturn its ruling and issue a detailed explanation and apology.
In response to the announcement on Monday evening, the boy’s father, Li Zhijian, said he hoped the review would consider the public’s dissatisfaction and the strongly worded demands by the Health Bureau, and called on the council to fulfil its mission of upholding justice and protecting the community.
In a statement, the council said it would conduct the review on the afternoon of November 22 “of its own initiative” in light of a related case report that had not been presented to its inquiry panel by the legal representatives of the parties during the last hearing.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Thursday ordered a review of the Medical Council, a day after the Patients’ Rights Association argued that the council’s ruling – the first involving a suspected medical blunder – could allow doctors to evade responsibility in future cases.
