Hong Kong health authorities face pressure over alleged blunder case’s 15-year delay
Ombudsman announces launch of probe into procedures by secretariat under Department of Health’s Boards and Councils Office for complaints
Hong Kong’s Department of Health is under mounting pressure to explain its role in a 15-year delay in the handling of a complaint involving an alleged blunder that left a child disabled for life.
Calls for answers intensified on Wednesday as the city’s ombudsman announced the launch of an investigation into the procedures and mechanisms employed by the secretariat under the department’s Boards and Councils Office in handling complaints related to alleged blunders and registration of professionals.
The office provides administrative support to 15 healthcare-related statutory bodies, including the Medical Council, the Dental Council and the Nursing Council, among others.
“I have decided to launch a full investigation … to identify areas for improvement and to put forward appropriate recommendations,” Ombudsman Jack Chan Jick-chi said.
He said that complaint information showed the administrative support offered by the department to those boards and councils might involve “significant delays and therefore be ineffective”.
“We are also deeply concerned about the recent media reports alleging an unexplained significant delay of 15 years by the secretariat of the Medical Council of Hong Kong under the Department of Health in handling a serious healthcare incident,” he said, referring to the case concerning paediatrician Dr Sit Sou-chi.