LCQ19: Regulation of veterinary surgeons and veterinary clinics
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Question:
It is reported that an incident, in which a cat died allegedly after undergoing sterilisation surgery performed by an unregistered person, has sparked public concern over the regulatory systems for veterinary surgeons and veterinary clinics. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information for the past five years (set out in a table):
(i) the annual number of veterinary clinics in Hong Kong and the percentage of veterinary clinics owned or controlled by veterinary surgeons registered under the Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap. 529);
(ii) the annual numbers of complaints received by the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB) involving veterinary clinics, cases referred to the Inquiry Committee, and cases in which the complaints were found substantiated, as well as the details of complaints and the average processing time required, with a breakdown listing whether the veterinary clinics concerned are owned or controlled by veterinary surgeons registered under Cap. 529; and the reasons for not referring the cases or determining that the complaints were unsubstantiated;
(iii) the annual number of reports received by the VSB involving alleged illegal diagnosis, prescription, or performance of surgical operations by unregistered persons, and the numbers of persons prosecuted and convicted (with a breakdown by illegal act);
(2) given that according to the Guidance on the Veterinary Surgeons Board's Expectations for the Management of Veterinary Clinics, there is no requirement for entities providing veterinary services to be owned or controlled by registered veterinary surgeons, and the VSB has no power to regulate the management of veterinary clinics, whether the authorities will study establishing a registration or licensing system that focuses on regulation of entities operating veterinary clinics, covers operational standards, eligibility of operators, and defines penalties for breaches;
(3) of the latest progress of the authorities' efforts in exploring the feasibility of setting up a registration system for veterinary assistants; whether the authorities will study extending the registration system to cover other veterinary nursing practitioners;
(4) of the notification and follow-up mechanisms in place to handle major medical incidents such as medication errors, or incidents such as improper alteration of medical records occurred in veterinary clinics;
(5) given that the list of registered veterinary surgeons available on the VSB's website does not contain information about whether or not a veterinary surgeon has been found guilty of misconduct or neglect in a professional respect, whether the authorities will study establishing a "database of inquiries involving veterinary surgeons" setting out the information of veterinary surgeons who have been punished; and
(6) of the measures put in place by the authorities to expedite the announcement of the findings of inquiries involving veterinary surgeons, such as whether studies will be conducted regarding setting a time frame for announcement of the findings of disciplinary inquiries?
Reply:
President,
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is committed to maintaining high standards in the veterinary profession and the quality of veterinary services. Established under the Veterinary Surgeons Registration Ordinance (Cap. 529) (the Ordinance), the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong (VSB) is the statutory body that regulates the professional conduct of registered veterinary surgeons through a rigorous registration system, the Code of Practice for the Guidance of Registered Veterinary Surgeons (the Code of Practice), and a disciplinary inquiry mechanism. Before taking their animals for consultation, members of the public may check the list of registered veterinary surgeons holding valid practising certificates on the VSB website to ascertain the qualifications of the veterinary surgeons concerned, thereby safeguarding the interests of both themselves and their animals.
Regarding recent incidents involving the suspected provision of veterinary services by unregistered individuals, the Police are conducting an in-depth investigation. Prosecution will be instituted in accordance with the law should sufficient evidence be established.
Having consulted the Security Bureau, the reply to the question raised by the Hon Lau Ka-keung is as follows:
(1)
(i) Under the Ordinance, the statutory regulatory remit of the VSB covers registered veterinary surgeons. As the existing legislation does not provide for a registration or licensing system for veterinary clinics, the VSB does not maintain statistics on the number of veterinary clinics. To facilitate public identification of clinics where registered veterinary surgeons practise, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department publishes a voluntary directory of local veterinary clinics on its website.
(ii) The statistics on complaints involving veterinary surgeons received by the VSB, cases referred and disciplinary inquiries completed over the past five years are as follows:
| Year | Number of complaint cases received | Number of cases received during the year that were not referred to IC after preliminary investigation | Number of cases received during the year that remain under preliminary investigation | Number of cases received during the year that are referred to IC (Note 1) | Number of inquiries completed during the year (Note 2) | Number of cases found substantiated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 59 | 54 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| 2023 | 52 | 44 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 12 |
| 2024 | 51 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 |
| 2025 | 46 | 37 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| 2026 (Note 3) |
66 | 22 | 44 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
Note 2: Including complaint cases received in previous years and referred for disciplinary inquiries to be held in the year concerned.
Note 3: Cumulative figures up to September 30, 2026.
Over the past five years, the average processing time for cases with completed inquiries was approximately nine months. Individual complex cases (such as those involving expert evidence from multiple parties, voluminous medical records, or legal proceedings) may take longer to process. The complaints mainly concerned the disregard of professional responsibilities to animals, medical malpractice, inadequate communication with clients, fee disputes, substandard management of medical records, etc. Whether a case is referred to IC depends on the availability of sufficient evidence indicating a registered veterinary surgeon is suspected of professional misconduct. IC determines cases in accordance with the Code of Practice and professional standards. Complaints are determined to be unsubstantiated mainly due to a lack of sufficient evidence, or because the conduct of the veterinary surgeon concerned has met the professional standard expected amongst veterinary surgeons.
(iii) Under section 16 of the Ordinance, no person shall practise veterinary surgery or provide a veterinary service in Hong Kong unless the person is registered and hold a valid practising certificate. Illegal veterinary practice is a criminal offence, and the Police are responsible for investigation and enforcement. Upon receipt of a report or enquiry regarding illegal provision of veterinary services, the VSB Secretariat will, with the consent of the informant, refer the case to the Police for follow-up action. Over the past five years, the numbers of reports or enquiries received by the Secretariat regarding suspected illegal provision of veterinary services are as follows:
| Year | Number of cases |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 9 |
| 2026 (as at September 30) |
5 |
During the above period, there were no prosecutions or convictions under section 16 of the Ordinance.
(2) To strengthen the operational management of veterinary clinics, the VSB formulated the "Guidance on the Veterinary Surgeons Board's Expectations for the Management of Veterinary Clinics" (the Guidance) in early 2026. The Guidance explicitly states that, irrespective of who owns or controls the clinic, the veterinary surgeons employed to practise therein shall be responsible for the medical practices of the clinic and must strictly comply with the Code of Practice. The Government and the VSB have been working closely, and will continue to review and explore enhancement measures.
(3) To explore the feasibility of setting up a registration system for veterinary assistants, the VSB conducted an industry survey to understand the current manpower situation of local veterinary assistants and the demand for accredited training. The VSB is conducting an in-depth analysis of the survey findings, and will further engage the industry on various areas including professional standards, qualifications framework, and training curricula. The Government will also explore with the VSB whether a voluntary registration scheme can be introduced in the absence of a statutory registration system for veterinary assistants, with a view to gradually enhancing the professional standards of veterinary nursing practitioners.
(4) The Code of Practice has set out specific provisions regulating dispensing of drugs and medical records. Registered veterinary surgeons must strictly comply with the requirements under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134) and the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) regarding the dispensing, handling, recording, and storage of restricted and dangerous drugs. They also bear the responsibility to properly supervise non-registered personnel involved in diagnosis, treatment, or administration of medication. Furthermore, veterinary surgeons must maintain true, clear, and contemporaneous medical records. Veterinary surgeons can only make material alterations to a medical record with justifiable reason which must be clearly documented. Where an animal owner requests the medical records of their animal, the registered veterinary surgeon in possession of such records must provide them in a timely manner.
In the event of medical negligence or improper alteration of records, the animal owner may lodge a complaint with the VSB. The VSB is empowered to obtain the medical records from the clinic concerned for disciplinary investigations. If a case is suspected to involve a criminal offence (such as the illegal provision of veterinary services or forgery of documents), it will be immediately referred to the law enforcement agencies for follow-up action.
(5) The list of registered veterinary surgeons published on the VSB website enables members of the public to instantly verify the registration status, qualifications in veterinary surgery, and practising addresses of the persons concerned.
Regarding disciplinary orders, the VSB gazettes all orders and publishes them in one local Chinese newspaper and one local English newspaper in accordance with the legislation. Having considered the views of stakeholders, made reference to the practices of other jurisdictions, and balanced the needs of various parties, the VSB enhanced its online publication mechanism in 2025 by extending the duration of online publication of disciplinary orders. Under the enhanced mechanism, orders involving the removal of names from the register of registered veterinary surgeons are published with full names for three years, while other disciplinary orders (such as reprimands) are published with full names for two years. All anonymised orders are retained on the website indefinitely to serve as educational purposes for the industry.
(6) The VSB announces the findings of disciplinary inquiries as expeditiously as possible, while ensuring legal procedural propriety and accuracy of information. Under the Ordinance, a registered veterinary surgeon subject to an order has a three-month period to lodge an appeal upon receipt of the order. Upon confirming that the veterinary surgeon concerned has abandoned the appeal or that the appeal period has expired, the Secretariat will publish the order, or the order as varied on appeal, in the Gazette, newspapers, and on the website.
To further streamline procedures and increase transparency, the VSB has amended its procedures, eliminating the previous practice that required a time-consuming redaction of procedural details before uploading summaries. Currently, upon expiry of the appeal period, the Secretariat uploads the full judgment of the IC directly to the VSB website, thereby significantly expediting the announcement of the findings of disciplinary inquiries.
Ends/Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:15
Issued at HKT 12:15
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