A former senior oncologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who was accused of obtaining the personal details of 2,000 clients before he left for private practice, said that he only wanted to use the information to notify the patients about his move for their benefit.
Testifying at Kowloon City Court yesterday, Paddy Chan Tak-ming said he did not consider that his actions were inappropriate and that it complied with the professional code of conduct issued by Hong Kong Medical Council in 2000.
He said all the recipients of his letters were his patients or those of his team at the hospital's oncology department, and thus his behaviour was in compliance under the 'practice promotion' section in the professional code.
The section states that doctors cannot promote their practices to anyone who is not their patient.
Chan, 46, has pleaded not guilty to one count of misconduct in public office and an alternative charge of obtaining access to a computer with a view to dishonest gain
The alleged offences occurred in January and February 2007, the court heard.
