A Ragdoll cat died after a neutering operation allegedly performed by someone who was not a registered veterinarian, Star Headline reported. The outlet said the bladder was mistakenly removed instead of the uterus.
In a written reply to a Legislative Council question, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan said the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong had received 66 complaints involving veterinarians by 30 September. That was a five-year high, and 43.5% more than at the same point a year earlier.
Of those complaints, 22 did not need referral to an inquiry committee after preliminary investigation; the other 44 were still being investigated. The committee received no referrals this year, but complaints can be referred in a later year than the one in which they were received.
The Board completed 10 inquiries this year, finding seven substantiated. Over the past five years, completed inquiries took about nine months on average. Complex cases involving several expert witnesses, extensive medical records or legal proceedings can take longer.
Separately, the Board’s secretariat received 23 reports of suspected unlicensed veterinary practice over five years, with no prosecutions or convictions in that period. It had received five reports or enquiries by 30 September this year. The secretariat refers reports to police only with the complainant’s consent. Tse said police were investigating a recent case involving suspected veterinary services by an unregistered person, and that prosecution would follow if there were sufficient evidence.
The Board’s statutory remit covers registered veterinarians. The law does not require veterinary clinics to register or obtain a licence, so the government does not keep a count of them. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department maintains a voluntary online list of local clinics where registered veterinarians practise.