Hospital officials have pledged to give priority to ensuring doctors working on public holidays will be given compensation days off.
Hospital Authority deputy director Dr Ko Wing-man admitted yesterday that the requirement to give compensation days had not been strictly enforced.
He blamed lack of staff and 'operational difficulties'.
Dr Ko was testifying at a Legislative Council panel meeting after public doctors said they were working more than 95 hours a week and were being denied public holidays.
He said a working group set up to review the problem would make the compensation days issue its first priority.
An authority survey in 1998 found interns worked 85 hours a week on average, junior doctors 70 hours and senior doctors and consultants 62 hours.