Hong Kong’s Medical Council under fire for closing second alleged blunder case
Latest case centres around alleged medical blunder during endoscopy that left patient in vegetative state
Hong Kong’s Medical Council is under mounting pressure to account for its disciplinary procedures after concerns were raised about its handling of a second alleged blunder, this time involving an endoscopy that left a patient in a vegetative state.
The council is already under fire from authorities and the city’s ombudsman for its handling of an inquiry into another alleged blunder that left a child disabled for life.
The latest allegations centred around the treatment of hospitalised patient Andy Chan Suk-wai, with his sister Kitty Chan speaking to the media on Sunday and accusing the council of closing her brother’s case “haphazardly” after four years.
She also said she had started a civil action against a general surgeon and an anaesthetist, accusing both of professional misconduct.
Her brother, 50, went for an endoscopy at a clinic in Kowloon in July 2021, and his blood pressure and blood oxygen levels plummeted within 20 minutes of going under anaesthesia.
Doctors then tried to bring him round, but he was sent to hospital with high blood pressure and pulse rate. He then momentarily fell into pulseless electrical activity, a form of cardiac arrest.