Medical Council reform aims to halve screening time
SingTao · 3 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Lawmakers on Monday examined the 2026 Doctors Registration (Amendment) Bill, with the Health Bureau presenting it as a broad restructuring of the Medical Council of Hong Kong rather than a piecemeal change. Officials said the proposed changes are intended to speed up complaint handling, strengthen patient protection, and support professional standards and doctor manpower planning.
Key Points
- At the Bills Committee meeting on August 25, officials said the bill advances four main reforms: the Medical Council's composition, complaint handling, public protection safeguards, and measures tied to professional standards and doctor manpower supply.
- The government estimated average preliminary screening of complaints could be cut by half, from 12 months to six months, while complex tribunal hearings could fall from about 3.5 years to 2.5 years.
- Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said the council had already accelerated case handling this year, with most of 18 unfinished cases received before 2018 completed and the remaining five set to begin hearings within the year.
- Lawmaker Chan Hoi-yan criticised the secretariat's complaint follow-up as like being pen pals, saying complainants were often told to write in for updates, and pressed for clearer standards and training for future investigators.
- Officials said the law would not rigidly require all investigators to be doctors, arguing the council should decide whether cases need doctors, nurses, specialist staff or even retired police officers, depending on the issues involved.
Why It Matters
For patients and doctors, the practical test will be whether the promised shorter timelines and administrative improvements reduce the long-running backlog that has damaged confidence in the complaint system. The bill also widens immediate suspension or deregistration powers in serious criminal or national security cases, showing the government wants faster disciplinary action alongside procedural reform.