(III) Where to complain

If you are the victim of medical negligence, then it may not be the best option for you to go to court and commence legal action immediately. Court procedures are time consuming, and you may not be able to recover the entire amount of your legal costs, even if you win the case.

You may consider taking your complaint to the following organisations:

• The hospital or clinic involved.
• The Head Office of the Hospital Authority if the complaint involves a hospital or clinic that is run and managed by the Hospital Authority. (Note: A list of these hospitals and clinics can be found on the Hospital Authority website at http://www.ha.org.hk/hesd/nsapi/?MIval=ha_visitor_index&intro=ha_view_template%26group=OSR%26Area=HNI . You are also advised to read the Hospital Authority's guidelines on its complaints system, in which you will find the relevant complaint form together with some general information about its complaints handling procedure.)
• The Public Complaints Committee of the Hospital Authority if the complaint involves a hospital or clinic that is run and managed by the Hospital Authority. (Note: This Committee only handles complaints from members of the general public who are dissatisfied with the response of the Hospital Authority or the hospital or clinic that is the subject of their complaint. For further information about this Committee, please visit the website of the Hospital Authority at http://www.ha.org.hk/hesd/nsapi/?MIval=ha_view_template&group=AHA&Area=BNC#pcc .)
• The Office of the Ombudsman if the hospital or clinic is run and managed by the Hospital Authority (see above) or the Department of Health. (Note: A list of clinics that are managed by the Department of Health can be found at http://www.dh.gov.hk/english/tele/tele_chc/tele_chc.html .)
• The respective professional body that oversees the specialty of the medical professional who is the subject of the complaint (e.g. the Medical Council of Hong Kong or the Dental Council of Hong Kong ) if there is an allegation of professional misconduct. Note that both the Medical Council and the Dental Council can only conduct disciplinary action against the doctor or dentist involved, but cannot award compensation. Please refer to question 1 for further details.
• Patients' rights organisations.
• The media.

1. What will happen if I make a complaint to the Medical Council of Hong Kong about a doctor (or to the Dental Council of Hong Kong about a dentist)?