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Following is the question by the Hon Leung Yiu-chung and a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council today (November 23):
Question:
I have learnt that a prisoner who requested to take Chinese medicines while being treated by a practitioner in Western medicine was required by the Correctional Services Department (CSD) to provide proof that the Chinese and Western medicines concerned will not produce adverse interactions. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) why CSD made the above requirement and whether this requirement constitutes deprivation of prisoners' right to proper medical treatment;
(b) whether the CSD will take the initiative to commission medical professionals or organisations to conduct tests to ascertain which Chinese and Western medicines are suitable for administration at the same time and which are not, so as to ensure that prisoners who have a need to take both Chinese and Western medicines can do so safely for quick relief of illness and speedy recovery; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(c) whether it will allow prisoners to choose either Chinese or Western medical treatments; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Correctional Services Department (CSD) respects prisoners' right to medical treatment, and ensures that sufficient and proper medical services are provided to all prisoners in accordance with the Prison Rules (Cap 234A). Every penal institution has a hospital or sick bay where medical services are provided by qualified doctors and nursing staff. Prisoners in need of intensive care or surgery are transferred to public hospitals for treatment. Moreover, medical specialists from the Hospital Authority (HA) and Department of Health (DH) visit the institutions on a regular basis to provide consultation and treatment to prisoners. Prisoners with mental problems are referred to the Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre.
Under the Prison Rules, Medical Officers are in charge of medical matters in penal institutions. The Medical Officers now posted to the penal institutions and specialists who visit the institutions on a regular basis are all registered medical practitioners from HA or DH. At present, we do not provide Chinese medical treatment to prisoners.
My reply to the questions raised is as follows:
(a) We consider the medical services currently provided to prisoners comprehensive and in compliance with the international standards for correctional services. If any prisoner requests medical treatment (e.g. Chinese medical treatment) other than those we provide, CSD will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis, based on the Medical Officers' professional advice.
CSD has a statutory obligation to protect the health and safety of prisoners. Besides, the Medical Officers in the penal institutions also have the responsibility to understand the treatment requested by prisoners. If the requested treatment may have adverse interactions with the treatment being administered and, thus, may affect the prisoner's health, the request may not be acceded to. This is to protect prisoners' health, and does not constitute deprivation of their right to proper medical treatment.
(b) As Chinese medical treatment does not fall within the scope of medical services we currently provide to prisoners, it should be up to the prisoners who request such treatment to prove whether it will have any adverse interactions with the treatment being administered by the Medical Officers in the penal institutions.
(c) The medical services we provide to all prisoners are comprehensive, in compliance with the international standards for correctional services and considered appropriate by the Medical Officers. Prisoners are not allowed to choose the form of treatment they prefer.
Ends/Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Issued at HKT 14:31
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