Hong Kong nurses found guilty of misconduct in fatal blunder banned for one month
Professional body deciding penalty for the three hears claims of inexperience, a misleading medical record and a lack of clear guidelines
Three public nurses have been forbidden from practising for one month after being found guilty of professional misconduct following a serious medical blunder where a 73-year-old cancer patient died after a breathing hole in his throat was blocked by gauze.
The Nursing Council, which licenses and disciplines nurses, ruled yesterday that the trio, who worked in Kowloon Hospital in 2011, would have their names struck off the nursing registry for one month.
The victim’s son, Brian Wang, said while he was pleased that justice had finally arrived, five years after the death of his father, this did not mean closure. He was still waiting for the body that licenses and disciplines doctors, the Medical Council, to decide whether there will be a hearing.
“I accept their apologies,” Wang said. “But there is still a need for the entire system to improve.”
“[The nurses] have cited many reasons when pleading leniency, such as lack of training, shortage of manpower ... These issues are all valid reasons too.”
“I hope things can now be improved, and no one has to suffer like my father did.”