Medical Council to be enhanced
(May 24, 2017)
Under the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2017, inquiry panels will be set up under the council to conduct inquiries. Inquiry meetings are conducted by the council now.
The council will decide on the number and membership of preliminary investigation committees and inquiry panels, with the majority of their members being doctors. Lay participation in the committees and panels will also be increased.
To ensure a sufficient pool of medical and lay assessors participate in the committees and panels, the number of doctor assessors will be increased from 10 to up to 80 while lay assessors will rise from four to up to 60.
To cope with an anticipated increase in complaints, legal support will also be enhanced.
The council will be able to appoint more than one legal adviser, and enable the Secretary for Justice to appoint any counsel or solicitor to carry out the statutory duties of the council's Secretary in inquiries.
On the council's composition, the number of lay members will be increased from four to eight, bringing the total number of council members to 32.
The four additional lay members will not need to be appointed by the Chief Executive.
Doctor members will retain the 75% majority in the council while the proportion of lay members will be increased from 14% to 25%.
Half of the members will be elected doctor members.
The bill will be tabled at the Legislative Council on June 7.
