The Medical Council of Hong Kong has closed a complaint over a 26-year-old police officer’s death after childbirth, saying there was insufficient evidence to refer it for an inquiry hearing. Her family was notified in early September 2026. She died in 2016 after severe bleeding following induced labour and a hysterectomy at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
A coroner’s inquest in 2022 returned a verdict of death by misadventure and criticised medical staff for failing to detect and correct the problem before the hysterectomy, which led to heavy bleeding in her abdomen. An expert witness at the inquest said the amount of placental tissue left in her was unacceptable, and that performing the operation without supplementing clotting factors was one cause of death.
The family has questioned whether the preliminary investigation committee considered evidence and expert testimony from the inquest. A community worker assisting the family said the Health Bureau’s reply had not addressed the inquest experts’ criticisms and called on the Medical Council to respond.
The case was returned to the preliminary investigation committee twice: in 2022 after material from the inquest became available, and in 2025 after the original expert resigned. The Council’s decision was made at the preliminary stage.
The Council says its committee considers material from complainants, patients’ medical records, doctors’ written explanations and independent experts’ reports. It will not refer a case for a hearing if it considers there is insufficient evidence for a reasonable prospect of finding professional misconduct. New information related to a case may lead the committee to consider reopening an investigation.
The Health Bureau said committees consider relevant evidence and expert opinions independently when a case involves a coroner’s finding, but it would not comment on the Council’s decision in this case. A proposed amendment to the doctors’ registration law would remove the mechanism allowing an inquiry panel to send a case back to the preliminary committee; new evidence arising at the inquiry stage could instead be handled by the medical tribunal.
The Bureau says a complainant may submit a further complaint with new information, including a different professional view about the basis for the committee’s decision. The family is awaiting a response from the Council and has not ruled out making another complaint.