Doctors face government intervention if they do not give a convincing explanation of how they will improve quality, a health official warned yesterday. After the release of the Harvard report, which accused some doctors of poor quality of care and lack of transparency, the Medical Council and Medical Association set up a working group to discuss how to solve the problems. Speaking after a health care forum yesterday, Deputy Secretary for Health and Welfare Gregory Leung Wing-lap said it was clear the present system of supervising doctors needed improvement. 'There are so many voices asking for a change, we are waiting for the Medical Council to work out some improvements,' he said. Mr Leung said the Government would eventually be forced to step in if the council's review did not meet people's expectations. Medical Council chairman Professor Felice Lieh-Mak admitted the review was needed urgently. 'If we don't do something right now, our profession would be controlled by outsiders. That is dangerous,' she said. She said the working group would issue a consultation paper in August on how to improve quality. Areas being investigated are transparency of doctors' charges, complaint procedures, release of medical records and continuous education for general practitioners. Professor Lieh-Mak said the group would also study whether the council should issue a standard complaint form. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Patients' Rights Association, Lilian Lau Sau-han, said complaints against unreasonable charges were on the rise. Among the 186 complaints the association had received from patients last year, 52 were about charges. A survey released by Hong Kong Policy Viewers yesterday showed most of the 541 respondents had asked for an independent body to monitor doctors' quality and development of family medicine. About half of respondents supported the two proposed mandatory insurance schemes, while many did not understand what the health care reform was about. Only 56 per cent were aware of the Harvard report.