THE controversial boardroom proposed for the new Hospital Authority headquarters has been renamed a multi-function conference room in a bid to justify the huge public gallery included in the $405 million project.
The size of the room and the inclusion of the gallery in the Kowloon City headquarters raised questions because there has not been any decision on whether the board will open its meetings to the public.
At a hearing of the Legislative Council health panel yesterday, Hospital Authority and Government health officials faced questions on their plans for the room.
The Deputy Secretary for Health and Welfare, Shelley Lau Lee Lai-kuen, said the plan had always been to use the room for other purposes as well as board meetings.
'Initially, it was called the board chamber, which gives people the impression it was solely for the board.' 'But we can say there is a need for this because the Hospital Authority organises different types of meetings with nurses and patients' representatives and there's a lot of need for the use of the room.' The Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, said: 'Our view is that we need to have better communications with the public and some special meetings might need to be opened up.' He said the board would not meet again until June, under the new chairman, Peter Woo Kwong-ching.
'We have a new chairman and we will be discussing issues such as how to open up the board and be more accountable to the public,' Dr Yeoh said.
