Doctor who stole student’s coin bag found guilty of professional misconduct by Hong Kong medical watchdog
Dr Lok Pui-sang removed from doctors’ registry for two months, but able to continue practising as penalty was suspended for two years
A general practitioner who stole from a student and failed to report his conviction promptly was found guilty of two charges of professional misconduct by the city’s medical watchdog and removed from the doctors’ registry for two months, suspended for two years.
Dr Lok Pui-sang, who has been practising since 1991, was convicted of theft and fined HK$5,000 at Kwung Tong court in April 2013 for stealing a coin bag containing HK$56.70, a student Octopus card, a student card and a USB drive from a female student at Fa Yuen Street Public Library in Mong Kok in March that year.
In a disciplinary hearing at the Medical Council on Tuesday, it was heard that Lok had failed to report the conviction to the council within 28 days, contrary to the code of professional conduct, which states that a doctor who has been convicted in or outside the city of an offence punishable by imprisonment must report this to the council within the time limit.
Kok did not make a report until he applied for renewal of his annual practising certificate in December that year.
Council chairman Professor Joseph Lau Wan-yee said the theft showed that Lok’s conduct had clearly fallen below the standards expected of registered medical practitioners.
And there was no reasonable excuse for his failure to report the criminal conviction within the time limit.
But the council also accepted that the defendant, who previously had a clean disciplinary record, had committed the offence out of greed, and he deeply regretted his actions. It believed he had learned his lesson and the chance of him committing the same offence again would be low.
Lok was removed from the council’s registry for two months, with the penalty suspended for two years. This means he will be able to continue practising unless convicted again within the next two years.
