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The family of a woman who died from an overdose of a powerful painkiller prescribed  by her goddaughter doctor invited an inquest jury yesterday to return a verdict of unlawful killing.
Alexander King SC, for the family of Anita Chan Lai-ling,  said  radiologist Dr Yau Yat-yin   - who prescribed fentanyl  to Chan for her back pain - had been 'grossly negligent'  and  had tried to cover it up.
King was speaking at the restart of an  inquest on Chan  who died on October 17, 2007,  with two  pain-killing patches on her neck. Chan was the widow of philanthropic educator Chan Shu-kui.  
The inquest has been  suspended for a year. 
 King said Yau had admitted in court that she had prescribed to herself  more than 6,000 tablets which she then  gave to Chan between 2004 and her death. 
'If a patient starts asking you for drugs, a doctor's professional duty is to say 'no',' King said.
Yau prescribed six fentanyl patches for  Chan's  back pain when the widow was discharged from Adventist Hospital after being  treated for an overdose of sleeping pills. She died a week later.
King said fentanyl was a  potent opiate,  80 times more potent than morphine, adding that the patches were  inadequately packed  and labelled  'use as directed'. 
The lawyer said that soon after Chan's death, Yau  persuaded her family  that she had died of natural causes and  an autopsy was not needed, referring to a preliminary clinical laboratory report.
 An autopsy later found that Chan  died of an overdose of fentanyl.
King said: 'She knew clearly what happened. She did not want people to know about it. She wanted to cover it up. She wanted to get away.'
He noted that experts had testified in court that they would not prescribe fentanyl patches, usually given to cancer patients, for Chan's level of pain.
King also suggested that Yau was lying when she testified  she had given Chan and her domestic helper  instructions on  using the patches.
The court earlier heard Yau had told Chan that fentanyl was a potent  drug and could have severe side effects; that no more than one may be used at  one time  and  would last three days. It must also  not come into contact with heat.
The inquest continues today.



Unlawful killing verdict sought in overdose death of widow