The family of an immigration officer who died suddenly after being treated for haemorrhoids and suspected rectal tumours has complained that the doctor in charge of his case at St Theresa's Hospital was not with him during his last hours.
Kwok Chan-fan, 36, died at the hospital on March 19 last year after vomiting and suffering chills and rectal pain and discharge, the Coroner's Court heard yesterday.
Kwok Chan-fai told the court that in the three hours before his brother's death, nurses were at his bedside but not Dr Samuel Kwok Po-yin, a specialist surgeon working at several hospitals. Staff told him the nurses would contact the resident doctor if his brother needed anything.
He asked that Dr Kwok cancel a scheduled surgery in order to stay with his brother, but the request was denied.
The court heard Dr Kwok saw the patient several times but on the day of his death he did not meet the family until several hours after another doctor announced they could do nothing to save the patient.
Kwok Chan-fan underwent biopsies for tumours suspected to be cancerous before the incident, according to a report read in court. On March 8 last year the patient had a colonoscopy and treatment for haemorrhoids and was discharged the same day.
