Hong Kong’s health minister has proposed an overhaul of the city’s medical watchdog to enhance its efficiency.

This followed the Medical Council’s termination of an inquiry into a doctor accused of a blunder that left a child disabled for life, while statistics showed more than 60 per cent of patient complaints took over two years to resolve, with 162 exceeding four years.

Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said on Tuesday that the government would look into the composition, legal functions and procedures of the council to improve the statutory body’s work under potential legal amendments.

“This case has prompted us to reflect on our system, procedure and more importantly, whether revisions to the Medical Registration Ordinance are needed as the Medical Council is governed by it,” he said.

The ordinance was last amended in 2018 to improve the efficiency and flexibility of the complaint-handling body by setting up inquiry panels, increasing participation of laymen in the proceedings and increasing the number of assessors.

Lo noted that the council had handled a large number of complaints – about 8,700 – over the past five years.