Circular No. 2048, 10th September 2001

President’s message – Two Coming Highlights in our Profession

Changing our Association into a Trade Union

Members are recommended to read the article by Dr. Lam Ngam on “Doctors’ Rights and Trade Union” in the enclosed Doctors Union News elaborating our members’ wish in the near future. As rightly pointed out by Dr. Lam, the Association is ready to change BUT short of your mandate. That is the reason why HKDU will hold an Extraordinary General Meeting(EGM) on 15.11.2001 to discuss the issue.

According to our Legal Adviser, the steps of changing into a Trade Union are :

  1. Formation of the new body in the name of Hong Kong Doctors Union, under the Ordinance of Trade Union by at least seven Council Members. The new body shall have principal objects of regulating the relations between employees and employers, or between employers and employers, or between employees and employees, which are similar to some of the objects of our present Association.
  2. Winding up of Hong Kong Doctors Union Limited through an EGM. We require more than two thirds of our total members, i.e. 1,087 members, to support such an important resolution before it can be carried out.
  3. Another special resolution in an EGM to transfer all properties of HKDU Limited to the new HKDU as a Trade Union.

Certainly, I count on every member of the Association to involve in such an important exercise when time is ripe for the change. With your blessings and support, there should be minimal disturbance to our Association for a smooth transition. AND make sure that you opt to transfer your membership from the present Association to the future Trade Union. I hope that the new Union will be born in the Spring of 2002.

Overwhelming changes in the Medical Council of Hong Kong

As you may notice in the Corresponding Section of the enclosed Doctors Union News, I have reproduced the two letters to the Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong reporting over 1,005 doctors who had signified their strong objection to the Academy’s proposal of linking CME/CPD to registration to practise for all doctors and dentists. Many thanks for your generous support on this issue.

Now there is another Open Letter titled "Concern on the Establishment of Professional Performance Committee in the Medical Council of Hong Kong" enclosed with this circulation that deserves your utmost attention. Again, I count on your total support by reading it, making copies to other colleagues, signing on it and have it faxed to the fax numbers as stipulated in the Open Letter as soon as possible. We need more support this time and remember, Unity is essential!

After 4 months of hard work by the Working Group on Reform of the Medical Council of Hong Kong in which I am a member, the initial proposals for the reform of the Medical Council would be sent to all of you for consultation around mid September 2001. There are certain proposals for the Reform that I was able to convince the Working Group to drop, e.g., fines as one form of punishment for Professional Misconduct. BUT there are many other proposals that your OPINION IS VITAL before they can be tuned to better suit our practice.

Together with other medical bodies and associations, your Council has indicated full support to the Consensus Statement of Medical Bodies on Reform of the Medical Council of Hong Kong. By now, you may have received the Consensus Statement sent to you from the Hong Kong Medical Association. I hope you read it carefully before you answer to the opinion survey from the Medical Council which will be sent to you shortly afterwards.

There are certain items in the Consensus Statement which I wish to draw your attention.

1.      In the Consensus Statement, we have the following counter proposals:

1.1    In response to the proposal of “The number of lay members of the Medical Council shall be increased from 4 to 8. As a consequence, the Medical Council shall consist of 32 members (8 lay members, 12 directly elected members, 2 members elected by the Hong Kong Medical Association and 10 appointed members)”.

We counter propose to abolish the seats of the appointed medical members and elect all the 24 medical members by direct election amongst doctors;

1.2    Concerning the Panel of Assessors to the Disciplinary Committee, we propose all Hong Kong doctors should be invited to join the panel of assessors, so that they would all have a chance to sit at the hearings. This is the true realization of judgment by peers;

2.      We disagree to the following proposals :-

2.1    “Continuing Medical Education (CME) shall be made a requirement for all doctors 3 years after the implementation of the voluntary system. The Medical Council shall further explore the mechanism for dealing with doctors who do not fulfill the required CME points”.

We Disagree for obvious reasons;

2.2    “The Medical Council shall adopt a motto to clearly focus its role and functions and the motto shall contain the following:

We Disagree as substance is more important than words.

2.3    “The Medical Council shall give press briefing after each policy meeting.”

We Disagree, as this may not be the best way to enhance transparency of the Medical Council. We do see an urgent need to improve the communication of the Medical Council with the medical profession. The proceedings of each policy meeting of the Medical Council should be made available to all doctors as soon as practicable. To the public, an annual report together with press briefing on release of the report would be sufficient.

Dear friends, make sure you participate actively in the aforesaid issues as they affect your future practice. Make sure all of you would voice your opinion and take appropriate actions. You are most welcome to phone up any Council Member or myself for further clarification anytime.

Dr. Yeung Chiu Fat Henry

會長通訊－醫學界要聞兩則

將本會轉為工會

林岩醫生於本期聯會通訊題為「醫生權益與工會」一文對會員最近的意願作出詳盡的描述，值得請大家細閱。正如林醫生正確指出了本會的轉變是萬事俱備只欠東風，即是你們的授權而已，故此特於2001年11月15日舉行特別會員大會與各位會員商議。

根據我會的法律顧問，轉變工會的步驟如下:

  1. 首先由至少七位會董會會員按工會條例成立一個新的團體叫香港西醫聯會（沒有有限公司字眼），新的組織主要宗旨將會是調解顧員與顧主間，顧主與顧主間及顧員與顧員之間的關係，其實與本會現有一部份宗旨相同。
  2. 召開特別會員大會通過解散香港西醫聯會有限公司，而我們需要有三分之二會員，即是1,087位會員支持，這個重要動議才能夠通過。
  3. 特別會員大會內另一個特別議決將香港西醫聯會有限公司的所有資產全數轉去工會的香港西醫聯會。

肯定的是當時機成熟時，我需要會中各成員每個人的參與這重要的行動。有賴你們的祝福與支持，這蛻變過程才能順利進行和對本會的影響減到最小。但最重要的是，你個人選擇將會籍轉到新的工會去。我希望在2002年的春天可以見到新的工會誕生。

香港醫務委員會的驚天改變

大家可能注意到我在本會的Doctors Union News內會員通訊一欄展出兩封致醫委會主席的信，內容有關超過1005位醫生強烈反對醫專提議把強制延續教育與強制專業發展同醫生與牙醫的登記行醫掛勾，衷心感謝大家對這方面的慷慨支持。

現在附上一封關注香港醫務委員會成立專業表現小組的公開信，事態嚴重，大家不可不理。再一次懇請各位伸出援手，共赴艱難，支持這個運動，請將信件複印，簽名及按信中指示儘早傳真回給發起人。這一次我們更加需要你的支持，必須要團結起來！

經過四個月的辛勞，醫委會改革工作小組終將於在2001年9月中旬向大家寄上改革的初步建議和徵詢意見。筆者有份參與以上工作，我慶幸成功懇請工作小組放棄某些建議，例如把罰款作為醫療失德的懲罰。但是更有許多建議是要寄望大家發表意見，才能使它們更改成為更適合我們將來日常面對的醫務工作。

聯同其他醫生組織和學會，你們的會董會已表示了全力支持對醫委會改革的各醫學團體所達到的共識。現在你們應該收到由香港醫學會寄出的這個共識。希望你們小心閱讀這共識，然後才答覆由醫委會短期內將寄出的問卷。

我特別請大家注意共識宣言中幾件項目。

1. 我們在共識宣言中有以下的反建議：

1.1       關於建議"醫務委員會的業外委員數目由4名增加至8名，總括而言，醫務委員會會由32名成員組成（8名業外委員，12名由直選產生的委員，2名由香港醫學會選出的委員及10名委任委員）。"

我們反建議取消委任醫生委員而全數二十四個業界委員席位改由醫生直選產生。

1.2       關於紀律研究委員會的成員，我們建議全港醫生應獲邀請加入成為審裁員，讓每位醫生也有機會參與研訊，真正體現同儕審裁的精神。

2. 我們反對以下的建議:

2.1       "於推行自願性延續醫學教育 3年之後，所有醫生將必須接受延續醫學教育。醫委會會繼續探討如何處理醫生未符合延續醫學教育學分要求的情況"。

我們全力反對。

2.2       "為清晰地申明其角色及職能，醫委會應採用一句包含下列內容的格言：

            我們不同意，我們認為實質行動比任何格言更重要。

2.3       "每次政策會議之後，醫務委員會將會向媒界提出簡報。"

我們反對因為這未必是增加醫委會透明度最好辦法。我們認為醫委會迫切需要改進與醫生的溝通，每次政策會議的會議議程和記錄應讓全體醫生也能查閱。對公眾來說週年報告及同時簡報作新聞發佈已足夠。

親愛的朋友，請你們積極投入參與以上各事項，因為它們會直接或間接影響你將來怎樣行醫。如有疑問或意見，請隨時致電筆者或任何會董查詢。

楊超發醫生

C2048c2001/Othercir(8)