Leung G K
Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Med J. 2018 Aug;24(4):384-390. doi: 10.12809/hkmj187346. Epub 2018 Jul 27.
The increasing number of medical manslaughter cases in recent years raises concerns about the concept of criminal liability in medical negligence. Contemporary cases in Hong Kong have also generated debate on whether criminal law intervention is justified and effective at dealing with substandard medical practices. This paper examines the legal principles underlying the applicable legal offence of gross negligence manslaughter and the implications that recent events may have on patient care and the medical profession. The author argues that the criminalisation of medical mistakes can have a detrimental effect on clinical practice and patient welfare. At stake is the potential for a loss of mutual trust between the medical profession and the rest of society. Gross negligence manslaughter is an unstable legal concept, and criminal sanctions should at most be applied to conscious violations of established rules and standards but not unintentional errors. As we await the outcomes of ongoing cases in Hong Kong, there is an urgent need to uphold standards of practice and to nurture a robust culture of ethical awareness, compassionate care, and professionalism.
近年来医疗过失杀人案件数量不断增加，引发了人们对医疗疏忽中刑事责任概念的关注。香港的当代案例也引发了关于刑法干预在处理不合格医疗行为方面是否合理且有效的辩论。本文探讨了重大过失杀人适用法律罪行背后的法律原则，以及近期事件可能对患者护理和医疗行业产生的影响。作者认为，将医疗失误刑事化可能会对临床实践和患者福祉产生不利影响。关键在于医疗行业与社会其他群体之间可能会失去相互信任。重大过失杀人是一个不稳定的法律概念，刑事制裁最多应适用于故意违反既定规则和标准的行为，而不是无意的错误。在我们等待香港现有案件的结果时，迫切需要维护执业标准，并培育一种强大的道德意识、 compassionate care和专业精神文化。 （注：“compassionate care”直译为“富有同情心的护理”，这里结合语境灵活意译为“人文关怀” 更合适，但按照要求未做修改）
