Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

LKS Faculty of Medicine,
The University of Hong Kong

香港大學李嘉誠醫學院
Motto	Strength From Diversity
Type	Public
Established	1 October 1887;136 years ago (1887-10-01)
President	Xiang Zhang
Dean	Lau Chak-sing
Undergraduates	2,900 (2021) [1]
Postgraduates	1,700 (2021) [1]
Address	21 Sassoon Road, Pok Fu Lam , Hong Kong
Affiliations	Queen Mary Hospital Ruttonjee Hospital Kowloon Hospital Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital Gleneagles Hong Kong Hospital Queen Elizabeth Hospital Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital
Website	www.med.hku.hk

"Why was the index of suspicion so low in Hong Kong, the acuity of judgment so raw, the sense of infection control so weak and the mechanism for instituting isolation so rusty? It took the Prince of Wales two weeks to decide to ban visitors to its wards." ^[11]

In response via a letter to the SCMP, more than one hundred doctors from the PWH refuted his claims and called for unity. They wrote that they found it "objectionable and distressing to be subjected to such accusations" and that such criticisms had been "very damaging to the morale of the frontline staff" at the hospital, adding that they had been under extreme stress for more than four weeks. ^{[10] [11]}

Lo Wing-lok, president of The Hong Kong Medical Association, said that "this type of mud-slinging was unhelpful" and that "we did not have the benefit of hindsight when we were facing this catastrophe". ^[11] Similarly, Ho Shiu-wei, Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, said that Lam's accusations were easy in hindsight. ^[12] Both attributed the criticisms to the long-standing rivalry between the two medical schools and their teaching hospitals, and called for solidarity and collaboration. ^{[11] [12]}

Renaming of the faculty

As one of the founding faculties of the University of Hong Kong, the Faculty of Medicine changed to its present name after securing a pledge of a HK$1 billion donation from businessman and philanthropist Li Ka-shing under the funding of Li Ka Shing Foundation. The renaming was objected to by many students and prominent alumni of the faculty. ^{[13] [14]} Despite this, the university officially renamed the faculty on 1 January 2006.

Patient billing controversy and jailing of former dean

In January 2007, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) set up an inquiry committee after receiving complaints "relating to certain billing arrangements in respect of private patients of a clinical department of the university". ^[15] In March amid the investigation, the faculty's dean, Lam Shiu-kum, abruptly resigned, citing "personal reasons". ^{[15] [16]} HKU acknowledged that Lam's resignation was a "highly unusual" event.^{[ citation needed ]}

HKU was questioned by legislator Kwok Ka-ki on why it had earned only slightly more at its Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) than The Chinese University of Hong Kong did at their Prince of Wales Hospital, despite conducting three times more operations a year. ^[17] In an article published by the South China Morning Post in March 2007, an anonymous medical source familiar with the faculty's operation said that there had long been a lack of monitoring and transparency concerning the faculty's billing of private services. The source was reported saying, "[f]or example, the surgical department alone can make more than HK$10 million a year. But for years frontline doctors are not told where the money goes, it is a black hole". ^[16]

In September 2009, Lam was sentenced to 25 months in jail after pleading guilty to misconduct in public office. Between 2003 and 2007, Lam had induced 12 of his patients at QMH to pay what appeared to be medical bills issued by the university and the hospital, but were payable to Gastrointestinal Research, a company wholly owned by Lam. The payments totalled HK$130,000. ^{[18] [19]} Lam had also asked three patients to make HK$3.8 million in donations to medical research, which he then pocketed. ^{[19] [20]} In passing sentence, judge Li Hon-leung said that although the patients' well-being was not compromised, ^[20] Lam had seriously breached the trust of both the faculty and his patients, and had attempted to cover up his misconduct. ^{[19] [20]} The judge said he had taken into account 22 letters that spoke highly of Lam's character and contributions to medicine, including one from former Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, ^{[19] [21]} who Lam was personal physician for. ^[21] Setting a starting point of five years jail, the judge deducted 35 months for Lam's guilty plea, his good character, and the fact that he had repaid all the money, leaving 25 months. ^[20] Prosecutors were advised by the Secretary of Justice not to proceed with 33 charges of fraud and theft, which were thus left on file. ^{[19] [20] [21]}

After the scandal, HKU introduced 16 measures to eliminate loopholes concerning the billing of private patients by faculty staff. ^[21] In August 2010, Lam was released early from prison after serving 11 months of his 25-month sentence, but was required to live under supervision in a correctional services hostel for six months. ^[22]

Notable alumni

Hong Kong College of Medicine

• Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary, first president and founding father of the Republic of China
• Wong Hong-kui (黄康衢) (1876–1961). He graduated from the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese in 1900 and then moved to Singapore, where he practiced Western medicine while participating in the Chinese Revolution with Sun Yat-Sen as one of the key members of the Nanyang Branch of Tongmenghui. ^[23]

Teaching hospitals

• Queen Mary Hospital (Hong Kong)
• The Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital at Sandy Bay
• Grantham Hospital
• Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital
• Kowloon Hospital
• MacLehose Medical Rehabilitation Centre
• Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
• Ruttonjee Hospital
• Tsan Yuk Hospital
• Tung Wah Hospital
• Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital

See also

• Hong Kong portal
• Medicine portal

• Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese
• Medical education in Hong Kong
• University of Hong Kong
• Li Ying College

References

1. "About HKUMed - HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine". www.med.hku.hk. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
2. Dafydd Emrys Evans (1987). Constancy of Purpose: An Account of the Foundation and History of the Hong Kong College of Medicine and the Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong, 1887-1987. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN   9789622091948.
3. "History". British Medical Association (Hong Kong Branch). Retrieved 10 August 2014.
4. Sweeting, Anthony. (1990). Education in Hong Kong, pre-1841 to 1941. HK University Press. ISBN   962-209-258-6
5. The University of Hong Kong. (2003). 'Growing with Hong Kong: The University and its Graduates, the first 90 years'. ISBN   962-209-613-1
6. Starling, Arthur. Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society. Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society Staff. (2006). Hong Kong University. ISBN   962-209-805-3
7. "WHO-SARS Update 12 (SARS virus close to conclusive identification, new tests for rapid diagnosis ready soon)". Archived from the original on 11 April 2003. Scientists at Hong Kong University had previously announced, on 21 March, the isolation of a new virus that was strongly suspected to be the causative agent of SARS. (5th paragraph)
8. "HKU Medicine Brochure" (PDF). Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
9. "HKUMed Undergraduate Admissions". Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.
10. More than 100 professors and doctors of the Prince of Wales Hospital and its SARS team (15 April 2003). "The virus in our worst health crisis is still an enigma". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
11. "HK doctors in the spotlight". BBC . 15 April 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
12. Ho, William (11 April 2003). "Why medical schools must work together in the Sars crisis". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
13. Parry, Jane (23 May 2005). "Concern over renaming at HKU". www.the-scientist.com. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
14. 港大校友斥徐立之賣醫學院「神主牌」 [University of Hong Kong alumni criticise Tsui Lap-chee for selling out [the] medical school's "spirit tablet"]. Hong Kong Inmedia (in Chinese). 24 May 2005. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008.
15. Ann, Mary; Benitez, Mary Ann (9 March 2007). "Committee of inquiry set up after complaints". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
16. Lee, Ella; Ann, Mary; Benitez, Mary Ann (8 March 2007). "HKU dean of medicine quits amid fees probe". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
17. Goh, Lilian; Ann, Mary; Benitez, Mary Ann (29 March 2007). "Former HKU medical dean breaks silence". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
18. Parry, Jane (8 September 2009). "University of Hong Kong's former dean of medicine is jailed". British Medical Journal. 339 (b3668): b3668. doi:10.1136/bmj.b3668. S2CID   71593988 . Retrieved 9 May 2010.
19. "Ex-HKU medical school dean jailed for 25 months". South China Morning Post . 4 September 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
20. Nickkita, Lau (4 September 2009). "Bitter pill". The Standard . Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
21. "HKU dean admits inducing patients to donate HK$4m to firm". South China Morning Post . 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
22. Lee, Ella (11 August 2010). "Ex-medical dean freed early from prison term". South China Morning Post . Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
23. Chan Chung, Rebecca; Chung, Deborah D.L.; Ng Wong, Cecilia (2020). 飛虎戰駝峰險亂世情[Piloted to Serve: Memoirs of Rebecca Chan Chung, World War II in China with Flying Tigers, U.S. Army and CNAC] (in Chinese). ISBN   9781467518659.

Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Traditional Chinese	香港大學李嘉誠醫學院
Simplified Chinese	香港大学李嘉诚医学院
Literal meaning	University of Hong Kong Li Ka-shing Medical School
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiānggǎng Dàxué Lǐ Jiāchéng Yīxuéyuàn Yue: Cantonese Jyutping hoeng1 gong2 daai6 hok6 lei5 gaa1 sing4 ji1 hok6 jyun6*2

v t e University of Hong Kong
Faculties	Architecture Arts Business Dentistry Engineering Education Law Medicine Science Social Sciences
Affiliated institutions	Students' Union Journalism and Media Studies Centre Museum and Art Gallery Prince Philip Dental Hospital Queen Mary Hospital Shenzhen Hospital University Press Swire Institute of Marine Science
Transport	HKU station
Structures	Accommodation Ricci Hall St. John's College University Hall
People	Vice-chancellors Alumni Frederick Lugard Hormusjee Naorojee Mody
History	Robert Chung Affair 818 incident Pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy

22°16′03″N114°07′42″E / 22.26748°N 114.12834°E / 22.26748; 114.12834