More lay members proposed under Medical Council reform

The government is proposing major reforms to the Medical Council, with the aim of enhancing transparency and speeding up the processing of patients' complaints.

Currently, the 32-strong council comprises 24 members who are doctors and eight non-doctors.

Under proposed amendments to the Medical Registration Ordinance, the council will add three lay members.

That means 11 of 35 members would be non-doctors, raising their representation from 25 percent to 31 percent.

Under an "executive-led" mechanism, all council members will be appointed by the chief executive.

A new Medical Investigation Unit and Medical Tribunal are planned, to replace the existing Preliminary Investigation Committee and inquiry panels, and the number of independent adjudicators will double to 280.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the Medical Council would be required to establish concrete timeframe for its complaint-handling procedures, and that the proposed reform would significantly shorten waiting time.

"In the past, it would take an average of three-and-a-half years from the time a complaint was filed to holding a hearing. We believe that through this reform, the average wait will decrease by over 30 percent to around 29 months," Lo said.

Asked whether more lay members would be added in future, he stressed that the work of the council covers various aspects, not just handling complaints, making it necessary to maintain a strong presence of doctors.

The health minister also noted that doctor members will be recruited from more sources, saying it will make the council more diversified.

Authorities also plan to allow complainants to appeal against the council’s decision, a move currently only allowed in cases involving doctors facing misconduct allegations.

Doctors convicted of serious crimes, such as national security offences, murder or rape, will face immediate suspension or deregistration, Lo added.

He said the legislative proposal would go to Legco for first reading on July 8.

Edited by Edmond Fong ...