Warning for doctor who removed salivary gland instead of tumour
Reprimand for doctor who missed tumour during operation fails to satisfy patient, who was left with medical problem
A surgeon with 33 years of clinical experience who mistakenly removed a patient's salivary gland instead of a tumour escaped with a reprimand yesterday.
The patient - who now has problems producing saliva and was severely distressed after the blunder more than four years ago - was not happy with the Medical Council's decision.
After the council announced its ruling on Dr Hung Cheung-kin last night, patient Sin Yuet-wan said: "Justice has come, even if it has come late. But I am not very satisfied with it, because Hung didn't do what he should have done."
Sin filed a complaint with the Medical Council in December 2009, after earlier filing a civil claim with the court against Hung.
After a day's hearing, the council ruled that Hung had removed a patient's salivary gland but failed to take out a tumour.
The private surgeon was found guilty of professional misconduct for failing to differentiate the gland from the tumour.
But Hung was acquitted of two other charges in the same case involving his alleged failure to arrange a follow-up MRI scan after surgery.