More than 90 per cent of doctors questioned oppose the inclusion of Chinese herbalists in the medical functional constituency in next year's Legislative Council election. A representative of a group of 42 doctors said yesterday 90 per cent of the 1,000 who responded to a survey were against the proposal. The study, which also covered dentists, was carried out after the Government revealed last month that it would move an amendment to widen the functional constituency to include Chinese herbalists. Organiser Dr Yeung Chiu-fat refused to give further details, saying the survey was continuing. Dr Yeung, vice-president of the Hong Kong Medical Association, said he had joined the survey in his personal capacity. Association president So Kai-ming said the association had not taken a position on the issue but a council meeting would be held on Thursday to discuss it. Doctors' representatives met constitutional affairs officials last night to ask the Government to hold a referendum on the planned change. Dr Yeung and Kwok Ka-ki, another organiser, said the proposal had come at the wrong time. Dr Kwok said the Government did not respect the Basic Law, which stated that any change to the formation of the Legislative Council should be carried out gradually with full consultation. The doctors said it was not the right time to widen the constituency as legislation to govern Chinese medicine and register practitioners would only be ready early next year. The survey results will be sent to the Government. The Government tried to make the changes to the constituency last July, but failed because Legco President Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai ruled too little notice had been given. However, a law was passed to set up the Chinese Medicine Council, which will regulate about 7,000 Chinese medical practitioners.