Long-delayed reform will be made public next year, says health minister
EMILY TSANGemily.tsang@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 12:05am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 17 November, 2015, 12:05am
A comprehensive review of the make-up of the Medical Council is being undertaken, health minister Dr Ko Wing-man says. Photo: K.Y. Cheng
Opening up the doctors' watchdog to more lay members and speeding up its handling of public complaints against medical practitioners were a "global trend", the health minister said yesterday as he promised a long-delayed reform of the body would be made public next year.
Dr Ko Wing-man said the revamp was still in the works as it involved a comprehensive review of the make-up of the Medical Council and the manpower supply in the health sector.
Ko was speaking at a meeting of the Legislative Council's medical panel as Liberal Party lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan introduced a private member's bill to speed up reform.
At present, 24 of the 28 council members are doctors - there are just four lay members.
Cheung is seeking to double this number to eight, and he wants there to be two lay members, instead of one as now, sitting on the council's preliminary investigation committee.
The Medical Council has long been criticised for delays and for allegedly overly protecting doctors facing complaints.
"I understand the intention of Cheung's bill is to increase the manpower of the Medical Council and speed up the disciplinary procedures," Ko said. "But the reform plan in the making by our manpower panel is a more comprehensive plan."
The council's chairman, Professor Joseph Lau Wan-yee, said he had submitted a reform proposal to the Food and Health Bureau more than a year ago but nothing had been done.
Cheung said his proposal aimed to strengthen the public's role in co-regulating the medical profession and improving the handling of public complaints.
Lawmakers from different parties backed Cheung's bill and criticised the government for inaction and delays in reforming the council.
The legislator for the medical sector, Dr Leung Ka-lau, said of the 24 council members from the industry, only seven were elected by registered doctors - 14 were appointed by the chief executive.
"Although the 14 government-appointed are registered doctors, the industry feels that they represent the government rather than the industry," Leung said.
"The proportion of appointed to directly elected council members should also be changed."
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1879574/details-sweeping-reform-hong-kong-doctors-watchdog
