Patient advocate Lam Chi Yau quits medical council to represent family in inquest
Lam Chi Yau, chairman of the Patient Policy Alliance, resigned from the Medical Council of Hong Kong effective 7 November to avoid conflict of interest while representing the father of late coma patient Chow Tin Yu in an inquest. The inquest pre-trial review is set for 20 November.
Patient Policy Alliance chairman Lam Chi Yau has resigned from the Medical Council of Hong Kong, effective this Friday, to represent the father of the late Chow Tin Yu in a coroner’s inquest. Lam confirmed to media that he had submitted a “notice of appointment of solicitor” to the Coroner’s Court, which has scheduled a pre-trial review for 20 November.
Chow Tin Yu, a girl who became a vegetable after suspected medical malpractice during surgery years ago, died in 2024. Lam said the girl’s father accepted his offer to act pro bono in the inquest. Lam explained that leaving the medical council would allow him to focus on the case without being mired in conflict-of-interest disputes.
Lam noted recent reports that in March the medical council had notified the father that a disciplinary hearing concerning the doctor involved in the alleged malpractice would take place on 27 October, requiring his testimony. However, days before the hearing, the council phoned to say it was cancelled because the coroner’s inquest would proceed. The father had been informed by the coroner’s office in September that the inquest would begin only after the council’s disciplinary hearing, leaving him confused and helpless.
Some medical council members argued that Lam’s role as the father’s representative in the inquest would inevitably expose him to Chow’s medical records and the doctor’s evidence, conflicting with his council position. Lam reiterated that he had never handled or accessed any complaint documents or information regarding the case or the doctor.
Lam said he respects opinions that his involvement creates a conflict of interest. As a patient advocate, he stated his wish to walk the path of justice with the father and uncover the truth.
