Government proposes to include more lay members at Medical Council

The government plans to increase non-doctor members of the Medical Council as part of its proposed reforms to improve transparency of patients' complaints.

The existing Medical Council consists of 32 members: 24 are doctors and eight non-doctor medical practitioners. Under the proposed amendment, the Chief Executive will appoint another three lay members to the council, rising the non-doctor number to 11 and representation to 31%. But the number of doctors in the council will stay the same. The measure aims to enhance the council's professional diversity.

To improve transparency and effectiveness of the mechanism of patients' complaints, the government calls for the establishment of a new Medical Investigation Unit and Medical Tribunal to replace the Preliminary Investigation Committee and inquiry panels. The number of independent adjudicators will increase from 140 to 280.

Authorities will request the council to set up time indicators at different stages of a case investigation as a means of speeding up the process. Such a measure is expected to cut down each case's handling time from an average of 42 to 29 months.

A four-tier penalty mechanism will be set up for convicted doctors. And complainants will have the opportunity to appeal against the council's decision -- an existing right given only to doctors who are guilty of professional misconduct.

Speaking to the media, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau says it is necessary to maintain a strong representation of doctors because the council doesn't simply handle complaints. Lo says the proposal will go to the Legislative Council for its first reading on July 8.

{#Medical Council, #Reform, # Lo Chung-mau}