The Medical Council's new proposals, if accepted by the Government and Legco, could help to restore a degree of public confidence in the way complaints against doctors are handled.
At the heart of the council's recommendations is the creation of a disciplinary committee chaired by a person with a judicial background who is not one of its members.
Earlier, disciplinary action against doctors was taken by council members, and a series of instances in which doctors seemed to get off with just a slap on the wrist for errors that the public and the courts regarded as grave had sparked calls for an overhaul of the system.
Ideally, disciplinary action against doctors ought to be taken by a body that is independent of the Medical Council. The medical profession has balked at this. The compromise the council has suggested could work out. But, in addition to the appointment of an independent chair, it is important that the council introduces more transparency in its deliberations and that the public is given some idea of how the disciplinary committee reaches its decisions, and the criteria it follows.
A lot will depend also on the way that complaints from the public are handled initially. The strengthening of the council's preliminary investigation committee, where complaints are initially received and handled, is welcome. The committee will have more lay members, and greater powers to demand documents and other evidence. It will also be made more difficult for the preliminary investigating committee to reject complaints out of hand.
The council should be given a chance to demonstrate that these proposals will be sufficient to restore public confidence.
