She said all medical procedures carried certain intrinsic risks. Some clinical staff might make errors 'due to factors related to experience, professional judgment and personal or other environmental reasons'.

But she said recent medical blunders were 'isolated' and did not indicate that all frontline clinical staff lacked alertness or a sense of accountability, or that there was insufficient staff.

While she agreed that staff shortages in hospitals might place workers under greater pressure, there was no reason to believe that staff made mistakes because of that.

Mrs Fok said the authority would consider several factors before deciding whether to disclose medical mistakes to the public.

These included whether disclosure would be acceptable to patients and families, whether the mistake would affect the well-being of the public, and whether disclosure would alert clinical staff and the public to adopt appropriate preventive measures.