HA Says Helping Doctors Charged Over Patient's Death

The chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Henry Fan, said on Friday that he is very concerned about two public doctors being charged with manslaughter over their treatment of a patient who suffered from acute liver failure before her death more than five years ago.

Police said the woman, 44, was treated by the pair at a hospital in Kwun Tong from January to February 2017.

The woman, understood to be Tang Kwai-sze, allegedly had to receive a liver transplant as a result of the care she received, but died in August that year after undergoing two operations.

The two doctors are due to appear before Eastern Court on January 16.

In an internal letter to HA staff, Fan said the authority is providing all the help it can to the doctors, including legal assistance.

He said they will continue to be paid while suspended from their original clinical duties, adding that the authority attaches great importance to the case and had expressed its condolences to the patient's family.

Health minister, Lo Chung-mau, meanwhile, said he's saddened by the prosecution of the two doctors.

In a government statement, he said he and other top HA members are very concerned about the case, especially the situation of the pair and the feelings of all staff.

Lo stressed he very much understands the worries of both public and private doctors that they may inadvertently breach the law while providing everyday treatment, saying that would affect the sector's professional development and overall service efficiency.

"As the health minister, the HA management and I will do our best to ensure medical staff can continue to treat people professionally, under a system and an environment that they can feel at ease," he said.

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