'16-year wait for medical inquiry unsatisfactory'

The lawmaker representing the medical sector on Monday said it was far from ideal that it took the Medical Council 16 years to handle a complaint.

David Lam's comment came after the medical watchdog found paediatrician Sit Sou-chi guilty of professional misconduct over an incident in 2009. A mainland couple accused Sit of negligence after their newborn son developed cerebral palsy.

The watchdog suspended Sit’s registration for nine months.

On a RTHK radio programme, Lam said planned reforms of the Medical Council will accelerate the inquiry process in future.

He said an earlier concern that evidence might be lost over time, which led to the inquiry being dropped at one point, never came true.

“The Medical Council made a clear choice between trust and distrust based on the testimonies of both sides. It seems that the earlier concern was unnecessary,” Lam said.

“That said, the decision was made in accordance with legal provisions then and we can’t say it’s entirely wrong. As far as I know, the council acted on the advice of lawyers.

“In the future, if complaints could be handled more efficiently, we will no longer see similar situations where a single case drags on for more than a decade.”

Meanwhile, Tim Pang from the Society for Community Organisation, who has been assisting the boy’s family, said the Medical Council’s ruling was fair.

Pang said the verdict sent a clear message to doctors that attempting to evade responsibility for mistakes will result in heavy penalties.

Edited by Thomas McAlinden ...