Hong Kong authorities have proposed overhauling the city’s medical watchdog by raising the proportion of lay members to more than a third and requiring the time frame for handling complaints to be made public to avoid delays. Unveiling the proposed amendments to the Medical Registration Ordinance on Friday, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the…
Hong Kong authorities intend to reform the city’s medical watchdog by raising the proportion of lay members to more than a third and requiring the time frames set for handling complaints to be made public, the South China Morning Post has learned. The proposed amendments to the Medical Registration Ordinance follow a 15-year delay in…
Hong Kong’s conservation officers will step up coordination with police to carry out joint operations to enter private premises when investigating suspected animal abuse, following an ombudsman’s report that found existing procedures ineffective. A lawmaker on Friday also backed strengthening collaboration rather than granting Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) staff the power to enter…
Hong Kong’s ombudsman has urged the government to empower conservation officers to enter people’s homes to investigate suspected animal cruelty cases, describing existing procedures as “ineffective” with less than 1 per cent of reported cases resulting in prosecutions. A report released on Thursday on the Office of the Ombudsman’s latest direct investigation operation also called…
A Discovery Bay resident has lodged a complaint with the city’s ombudsman over authorities’ handling of a proposal to allow unrestricted taxi access to the resort-style seaside community in Hong Kong. A petition bearing 1,700 signatures from concerned residents has also submitted the Transport Department calling for proper public consultation and wider public communications on…
Hong Kong authorities have proposed replacing, rather than punishing, Medical Council members who underperform, after public outcry over a 15-year delay in an alleged medical blunder inquiry. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau also said the government had no plans to impose rigid deadlines for each stage of complaint handling by the quasi-judicial body, saying the…
Hong Kong’s legislature will consider establishing a dedicated mechanism to scrutinise the implementation of approved bills and funding, drawing inspiration from mainland China’s law enforcement inspection system, according to its president. Legislative Council president Starry Lee Wai-king also dismissed concerns that the city’s first five-year plan would undermine the “one country, two systems” governing principle,…
Hong Kong authorities have proposed requiring the Medical Council to set a time frame for handling complaints, following public backlash over a 15-year delay to an inquiry into an alleged medical blunder that left a child permanently disabled. The Health Bureau on Friday also proposed reforming the composition of the watchdog, bringing in doctors with…
Hong Kong’s ombudsman has found that the Medical Council’s complaint-handling processes are excessively lengthy and plagued by a persistent backlog of cases, urging the watchdog and authorities to hasten procedures to uphold public confidence. The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday released its investigation findings into the effectiveness of administrative support provided by the secretariat…
Senior officials may face disciplinary probes if their departments are found to have performed badly by the ombudsman or audit commissioner under the new accountability system being pushed by the Hong Kong government, the civil service minister has said. Speaking at a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung…