An inquiry into the cause of a spate of blunders at public hospitals was last night described as a compromise to maintain staff morale.
The review panel consists of Hospital Authority board members and laymen. The inquiry will be in-house.
Overseas experts asked to help with the review will not visit Hong Kong immediately to sit on the panel, authority chief executive Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong said last night.
The experts - including Professor Sir Cyril Chantler of St Thomas' Hospital in London - will make recommendations during a scheduled trip arranged months ago.
Authority board member and medical legislator Dr Leong Che-hung admitted the review would not be as independent, full-time and fast as had been urged. The result was a compromise between probing the system and ensuring confidence in its chief executive and maintaining staff morale.
'In a way, yes, it's perhaps not as sort of high-powered as one would like to see, but on the other hand, it's a balance,' Dr Leong said.
