Government Commits to Improving Medical Council's Complaint Handling Following Ombudsman Report Recommendations

DH responds to Ombudsman's direct investigation operation report

Regarding the report on the direct investigation operation released by the Office of The Ombudsman today (February 5) on the "effectiveness of administrative support provided for complaint handling by Secretariat of Medical Council of Hong Kong (MCHK) under Department of Health (DH), and DH's regulatory role", the DH responds as follows:

The Government appreciates the Ombudsman's attention to the work of the MCHK and its valuable suggestions. The Government accepts and will actively follow up on the recommendations in the report, striving to assist the MCHK in optimising its complaint-handling mechanism, enhancing operational efficiency, and improving service quality.

The MCHK is a statutory body established under the Medical Registration Ordinance (MRO) (Cap. 161) to handle matters relating to the professional development of medical practitioners, maintain healthcare standards and protect patients in accordance with the powers conferred by legislation. The DH has consistently provided the MCHK with Secretariat staff or other resources to support the MCHK in fulfilling its duties under the MRO and relevant subsidiary legislation.

In its report, the Ombudsman expressed concerns about the MCHK's current mechanism and the progress in complaint handling, and put forward a number of recommendations for improvement, some of which will involve legislative amendments. In this regard, the Health Bureau had previously indicated that it would propose amendments to the MRO in response to the report submitted by the MCHK and its operational needs in order to ensure that the mechanism keeps pace with the times and meets the needs of society.

Regarding other recommendations made by the Ombudsman concerning the administrative arrangements of the MCHK and its Secretariat, the DH will invite the MCHK to review and refine the existing arrangements based on the Ombudsman's recommendations. Furthermore, the DH will strengthen communication with the MCHK regarding the Secretariat's overall performance of administrative support, staffing and resource requirements, as well as performance management of Secretariat staff to enhance the Secretariat's operational efficiency.

The DH stressed that the medical professioninHong Konghave all along upheld the principle of professional autonomy. The Government will assist the MCHK in discharging its statutory duties through legislative amendments, and other administrative and resource support, thereby further enhancing the professional standards and conduct of doctors to safeguard the interests of public and patients.

The Department of Health (DH), Photo source: reference image

Sixth-term Commission on Poverty convenes fifth meeting

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, chaired the fifth meeting of the sixth-term Commission on Poverty (CoP) this afternoon (February 5).

At the meeting, members were briefed by a university research team on the review results of Targeted Poverty Alleviation Schemes. Members were pleased to note that the Strive and Rise Programme, the Pilot Programme on Community Living Room, and the School-based After School Care Service Scheme have achieved their key performance indicators, with certain indicators exceeding expectations. This reflects the schemes' positive impact on service beneficiaries' living standards and personal development, and further affirms the direction of the strategy of targeted poverty alleviation and its effectiveness. The review findings will be incorporated into the proposed Report on Impact of Targeted Poverty Alleviation Strategy in Hong Kong.

Members also noted that the Report will quantify at a macro level the social value transferred to households that benefit from regular housing, health, education, and welfare measures. Such an analysis would reflect in a more comprehensive manner the Government's efforts and effectiveness in alleviating poverty.

The Government will prepare the Report according to the timetable and consult the CoP with a view to releasing it in mid-2026.

Source: AI-found images