Hong Kong govt urges citizens not to bribe, deceive doctors

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday urged members of the public not to bribe or deceive doctors to get exempted from the COVID 19 vaccination drive.

The government said that those who obtained exemptions from doctors suspected of abusing their powers of issuance could get assistance from general out-patient clinics, except those designated for confirmed cases, under the Health Authority.

Relevant members of the public can also choose to visit general out-patient clinics under the Hospital Authority where doctors can assess whether patients can continue to get medical exemption based on their clinical condition, according to the statement.

If the public healthcare system notices any suspected criminal behavior, they will take those cases seriously and refer them to enforcement departments for follow-up, it added.

The eHealth System has records of exemption certificates issued by the doctors suspected of issuing spurious certificates, and these are accessible to public sector doctors, according to the government.

The government said that the GOPCs under the HA have been giving advice to visiting patients who intend to receive COVID 19 vaccination but have doubts about their health condition in order to help the patients make a decision on vaccination.