VETERAN industrialist and politician Sir Sze-yuen Chung may be asked to stay on as chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA) when his current term expires at the end of March.
Sir Sze-yuen, 77, was widely expected to step down after holding the position of chairman since the HA's inception in 1990 but a spokesman for the Health and Welfare Branch said he might be asked to continue in the position.
The spokesman said: 'We are looking at various possibilities, including asking Sir S. Y. to stay on, but if he insists on leaving we will have to look for a successor.' Businessman and HA board member Peter Woo Kwong-ching is a front-runner to succeed Sir S. Y.
Sir S. Y., who has been an adviser to the Chinese Government on Hong Kong affairs since 1992, is on the list of candidates tipped to become the first chief executive of the Special Administrative Region.
He was reappointed chairman of the HA for a second term at the beginning of December 1993 for an agreed period of one year and four months, while the 24-member board was reappointed for two years.
The former senior Executive Councillor has been praised for his leadership of the authority during its formative years although he has also come in for some criticism.
