Hong Kong ombudsman slams Medical Council’s ‘excessively long’ complaints system

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Fiona SunFebruary 5, 2026 at 01:19 PM

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Hong Kong's Ombudsman has criticized the Medical Council's complaint-handling system for being excessively long and having a significant backlog of cases. An investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman, released Thursday, examined the administrative support provided by the Department of Health's secretariat and the government's regulatory role. The Medical Council completed an average of 44 inquiry cases per year between 2020 and 2025, with 4% taking between 10 and 15 years. As of December, the council had a backlog of 895 cases. Ombudsman Jack Chan Jick-chi cited systemic issues and inadequacies in the Medical Council's complaint-handling and monitoring mechanism, urging the council and authorities to expedite procedures to maintain public trust.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Jack Chan Jick-chi 60% Department of Health ×265% Office of the Ombudsman ×375% Medical Council of Hong Kong ×385% Hong Kong ×290%

Keywords

medical council 100% complaint-handling 90% ombudsman 80% backlog of cases 70% investigation findings 60% regulatory role 50% department of health 50% public confidence 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

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Source

South China Morning Post

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90%

Geographic Perspective

Hong Kong

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