Editorial | Death of Hong Kong hepatitis B sufferer a reminder to put patient safety first
- Two liver transplants could not save a Hong Kong mother after doctors failed to prescribe her the antiviral drugs she needed to protect herself from the virus
The plight of a hepatitis B patient who became seriously ill after a medical blunder and died despite two liver transplants touched the hearts of Hong Kong people.
The death of Tang Kwai-sze in 2017 also raised many questions concerning the state of the public health system.
A coroner’s inquest concluded last week, with a jury returning a verdict of death by misadventure. Lessons need to be learned so that similar tragedies do not occur.
Tang was treated for kidney disease at United Christian Hospital and given a heavy dose of steroids. But two doctors failed to prescribe her the antiviral drugs she needed, as a hepatitis B carrier, to protect her from the virus.
She developed a serious liver condition. Her daughter, Michelle Wu, then 17, won the admiration of the community by offering to donate part of her own liver so that her dying mother could have a transplant.
But the law required her to be 18 years old. A member of the public stepped forward to become a donor. Sadly, two transplants could not save Tang.
The case highlighted numerous problems. There was an unacceptable delay in the hospital’s reporting of the blunder. Concerns were raised about the workload of hospital doctors, seen as contributing to their mistake.