A private surgeon charged with professional misconduct believed there was no need to examine his patient before discharging him despite his complaints of pain after surgery.
"I was under the impression he was in fairly good condition," Dr Chan Po-sum told the Medical Council in a hearing yesterday.
The patient - who had undergone an operation to remove haemorrhoids - was later found to be suffering from peritoneum inflammation, a potentially fatal condition. His rectal wall was also penetrated, the council heard.
Chan was charged with failing to properly examine his patient and to look into his repeated complaints of pain after the haemorrhoid removal procedure the man underwent at St Teresa's Hospital in February 2010.
The patient could not pass urine on his own and complained of abdominal pain after the surgery, but Chan said that from observing the man's way of walking and talking the day after the operation, he decided further checks on his rectum or abdomen were not necessary before discharging him.
Over the next two days, the patient called Chan's clinic twice complaining of more abdominal discomfort and other problems, but Chan only gave him instructions through his nurse.