HA fires intern doctor after misconduct probe

The Hospital Authority (HA) said on Friday it dismissed an intern doctor following a probe into a series of misconduct allegations. This came after the authority interviewed the dismissed intern and relevant healthcare staff, and reviewed clinical and computer system records. In a statement, the HA said it had established an investigation committee after becoming aware of social media posts alleging improper behaviour by the dismissed intern. The committee has since completed its probe and found the individual had been involved in multiple breaches of professional standards. The HA said the misconduct included violations of professional ethics and integrity, compromising patient privacy and confidentiality, and failing to properly follow instructions in carrying out medical procedures. "The Hospital Authority has notified the intern doctor of the dismissal and informed the relevant university's faculty of medicine for follow-up," an HA spokesperson said. "The Hospital Authority will continue to investigate the incident, and if other doctors are found to be involved in misconduct, it will take serious action to uphold professional standards and protect patient safety," the statement added. The dismissed trainee had used medical equipment to conduct an X-ray of her knee without authorisation at Caritas Medical Centre and posted it on social media. She was also suspected of using another person's account to log in to a clinical management system without authorisation and browse the records of a Tuen Mun Hospital patient. Edited by Aaron Tam