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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
In response to the recent incident concerning the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) cardiology unit, Hospital Authority (HA) Chief Executive, Dr Leung Pak-yin announced today (August 28) the establishment of an independent review committee at the Head Office level.
"The administrative decision made by PWH in February this year was based on the consideration of patient safety. Two expert panels had been set up to give expert advice on the methodology and results of the clinical audit, and to review the clinical management of the 11 patient cases," Dr Leung said.
He said that HA was deeply concerned that the recent disputes were beginning to affect public confidence towards public healthcare services.
"To ensure the proper and fair handling of the two reviews in PWH, I have appointed the Director (Quality and Safety) of HA Head Office to oversee the work of the two expert panels by providing policy and procedural support. At the same time, a renowned overseas cardiology expert will also provide opinions regarding the validity of the findings of the two panels," he said.
Dr Leung added that the two reports to be submitted to the HA Head Office would then be received by the independent review committee, comprising HA Board Members and representative from the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, among others. Composition of the membership will be announced shortly.
"Without overlapping the work of the two expert panels, the independent review committee will recommend necessary follow-up actions based on the findings. It will also deliberate on issues of clinical governance and credentialing, as emerging concerns in this incident," he remarked.
Dr Leung pledged that HA will handle the review and follow-up of the incident with utmost prudence to ensure the quality and safety of clinical care while safeguarding reputation of the staff involved.
Ends/Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Issued at HKT 22:04
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