The Medical Council on Friday resumed looking into allegations of doctor negligence back in 2009 after an earlier probe was delayed so much it was dropped, prompting the government to come up with changes to how the watchdog operates.

A mainland couple previously filed a complaint to the council in 2010, alleging that their newborn son developed cerebral palsy and quadriplegia because a Baptist Hospital paediatrician was too slow to act on warnings from nurses about the baby's condition.

Despite the family's initial complaint, scheduling delays resulted in the matter dragging on until October last year, when the council's inquiry panel decided that too much time had passed for the doctor to get a fair hearing.

But last November, the council said it would look into the issue once again after Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau ordered a review of its disciplinary mechanism.

The father expressed hope the council could handle the matter fairly and conclude the case within this month.

"We hope the hearing can make a fair and impartial judgement on this case and provide a fair opinion as soon as possible, to give us justice," he told reporters.



Edited by Tony Sabine