Brain Goes Missing At Hospital

The North District Hospital says it has lost the brain of a dead patient following an autopsy at its morgue.

A 71-year-old woman who was admitted to the hospital in late February suffering delirium, and died a few days later.

Her brain was removed in order to ascertain the cause of death, and stored in a unlocked specimen room.

However staff couldn't locate the brain when they went to get it for tests on Wednesday.

The hospital has reported the case to the police and apologised to the woman's family.

Civic Party lawmaker and doctor Kwok Ka-ki says he can't recall a similar incident occurring before. He doesn't think the brain has been stolen, and says hospital staff have to be more careful.

He said: "The loss of an organ is a very major incident in a hospital ... it jeopardises public confidence."

He said in order to prevent such incidents happening again, staff need to be extremely thorough in checking, labelling and storing specimens.