Hong Kong doctor in stranded liver patient case accepts probe’s findings but still hopes to serve hospital full time
His boss argues matter is error in judgment, not ethics, as he left for another operation instead of for personal reasons
At the time of the incident, Dr Kelvin Ng Kwok-chai was under a special part-time contract at Queen Mary Hospital because of a manpower shortage. He said he still hoped that in future he could work full-time for the University of Hong Kong’s medical faculty, under which Queen Mary serves as a research hospital.
Ng, who has remained largely under the radar since news of the case, told the Post: “I would accept the report. I am still working in the hospital under the current post. The full-time post [at HKU] is still [being processed].”
Probe of stranded liver patient prompts Hong Kong hospital to vow clearer guidance for honorary staff
On October 13 last year, Ng rushed to a private hospital to perform a scheduled procedure midway through a liver transplant at Queen Mary. The transplant was held up for some three hours until he returned.
Last month, a report on Ng, who was Queen Mary’s honorary consultant, was submitted to the hospital and a panel investigation on the matter finally closed last week. It concluded that Ng’s actions were “unacceptable” and “unnecessary”.
The panel suggested the hospital issue a code to regulate the roles and responsibilities of honorary staff. The hospital was also urged to emphasise that a doctor on its call list should act timely in responding to patients’ needs.
On Sunday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee urged the Hospital Authority to implement the report’s recommendations.