Hong Kong doctor with history of misconduct loses licence for 4 months over use of misleading title
- Medical Council hears Chan Hoi-yuk quoted as ‘doctor in the speciality of family’ in online publication, despite not being registered as a specialist in the field
- Watchdog previously penalised Chan for spate of misconduct incidents and is currently wanted by police over sale of Covid-19 jab exemption certificates
A Hong Kong doctor with a history of professional misconduct was stripped of his medical licence on Friday for four months after being found guilty of misleading the public into believing he was a specialist in family medicine.
The Medical Council said Chan Hoi-yuk was accused of falsely using a title similar to a specialist in the field for an online article. While he has been registered as a doctor since 2001, Chan is not included on the official list of family medicine specialists.
Chan did not attend the watchdog’s hearing, nor was he legally represented at the session. His last known appearance in Hong Kong was in 2021. He previously ran a local clinic. It is currently unknown if the clinic is still operating.
He was previously found guilty of misconduct in three cases for unauthorised practice promotion and mistakes in labelling medication. The earliest disciplinary record dates back to 2010.
Police looking for Hong Kong doctor suspected of selling jab exemption record
In 2022, police placed Chan on a wanted list after he was accused of selling Covid-19 vaccine exemption certificates. The documents could be used to access venues and facilities restricted under the city’s vaccine pass scheme, which aimed to limit the spread of the coronavirus during the pandemic.
On Friday, the council heard Chan had used the title “doctor in the speciality of family” for a Chinese-language article published with the online platform Healthy D.
The council said it had received a complaint in November 2021 over the doctor’s use of the title. It was not immediately clear when the article was originally published.
Ryan Lee King-hay, a government counsel representing the council’s secretary, slammed a previous argument from Chan that he had no means of uncovering all the articles involving him published online.
“It was inexcusable to say he had no means to search all the articles on the website,” Lee said. “He should have exercised extra caution on how he is introduced and not misquoted … The defendant simply did nothing at all.”
The council said the title used in the article could give readers the false impression that Chan specialised in family medicine.
According to the watchdog, Chan also never offered an explanation on whether he had taken the necessary steps to ensure his professional title was correctly quoted in the publication.
In an email to the council, the doctor asked it to “cancel all the complaints against me for saving your treasurable time as I am not a doctor now in Hong Kong … Thanks for offering me many times of visiting you and spending time for listening to my creative explanations in the past.”
Dr Gabriel Choi Kin, chairman of the council’s inquiry panel, said Chan’s reply indicated that “the defendant showed no remorse and has no insight into his wrongdoings”.
The fugitive doctor had also fallen below the standards expected of registered medical practitioners in Hong Kong, Choi added.
In 2010, Chan was issued with a warning letter for his unauthorised practice promotion. He was also reprimanded in 2018 for wrongly labelling medication dispensed to a patient.
In 2020, the doctor was again linked to unauthorised practice promotion and had his name removed from the general register for three months, with a suspended period of 36 months.
Hong Kong doctor selling jab exemption certificates ‘is boyfriend of jailed physician’
The council that year told Chan he was on his final warning and may no longer receive further suspended removal orders if he was found guilty of offences related to practice promotion again.
Chan’s name was removed from the general register for four months on Friday, with the removal order from 2020 activated to run concurrently.
Chan was also Dr Mak Wan-ling’s boyfriend. Mak was one of three defendants found guilty of manslaughter over the death of a woman at a beauty treatment in 2012.
