A few good people

The professionalism of medical doctors in Hong Kong always impressed me, especially those who work in public hospitals with heavier workload and lesser pay, most of them are truly good doctors with a kind heart.  In Hong Kong, a medical doctor usually doesn't have to meddle with real-life politics, which works on quite different professional rules.  The only exception is the Secretary for Food and Health.  The current and former Secretary were both recently on news.


Firstly, the former Secretary Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun was re-elected to be the Director-General of World Health Organization last month (see Heathy congrats as Chan wins re-election).  Secondly, the current Secretary York Chow Yat-ngok this month commented on the suspicious death of dissident Li HuangYang, Chow being the first official in the administration to express his empathy with Li's death in the capacity of a high-level official and a medical practitioner.  The following is from Hong Kong Standard:

"Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok yesterday became the first top Hong Kong government official to question official versions of the death of mainland activist Li Wangyang.
Chow, a medical doctor, said there were suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the blind-and-deaf activist.

"He was seriously disabled," said Chow.

"It is not easy for a seriously disabled person to commit suicide. Judging from the pictures, it does not look like he killed himself."

Li was found dead in a Shaoyang city hospital ward last Wednesday, hanged from a window bar with a strip of cloth. His feet were touching the floor, raising suspicions about mainland authorities' suicide claims.

Shaoyang city authorities have already cremated Li's body, saying it was at the request of Li's family. Li's friends have suggested otherwise.


Chow also said that judging from Li's character, as reflected in a television interview aired a few days before he died, he did not look like a person who would end his own life without leaving a note.

"If he intended to sacrifice himself to do something earth-shaking, he should have left a few words behind."

Chow said he hopes that people with close ties to Beijing, including members of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will reflect the concerns held by many people in Hong Kong to Beijing."

(For full report: Chow questions Li death)

Chow talking to media