The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Hospital Authority (HA) today (June 6) announced an incident of incomplete display of Laboratory Information System.

     HA received notification from Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) that its Pathology Department Laboratory Information System had produced incomplete information for a molecular genetic test report (EGFR). As a result, clinicians may not read the full details of the report.

     HA Information Technology and Health Informatics Department initiated investigation and rectified the concerned system accordingly. Preliminary findings suggest that a technical issue occurred during the installation of an application earlier. This had led to the incomplete display of information in certain fields within the system, while complete information was displayed in the Document Portable Format and printing the report.

     PMH has reviewed all 217 EGRF reports involving three hospitals, namely PMH, Kwong Wah Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, as their molecular genetic tests are supported by the laboratory. Amongst all the reports, the treatment plan of one PMH oncology patient required adjustment. The concerned patient had already been arranged for chemotherapy. After reviewing the full EGFR report, targeted therapy was offered to the patient. PMH has already informed the patient about the incident and updated the treatment plan. It is anticipated that the treatment outcome is unaffected.

     HA apologised to the patient for the incident. The hospital will keep monitoring the patient’s condition and render necessary assistance. HA Information Technology and Health Informatics Department has checked the same system installed in other hospitals and no similar problems have been found.

     In response to the procession by certain members of the legal sector today (June 6), a spokesman for the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued the following statement:
 
     The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 aims to deal with the Taiwan murder case and seeks to plug the loopholes in the current regime for legal co-operation in criminal matters.
 
     The surrender of fugitive offenders and mutual legal assistance regimes in Hong Kong are devised with reference to the guidelines and model treaties endorsed by the United Nations, and are consistent with human rights protection principles that are commonly followed by the international community. For special surrender arrangements prescribed under the Bill, there can be more safeguards for the protection of the rights of the subject, apart from those provided for by the existing Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (FOO).
 
     The Government has been adopting extremely stringent procedures in handling requests for surrender of fugitive offenders. The existing legislation sets out the appropriate human rights and procedural safeguards, as well as the gatekeeping roles of the court and the executive authorities. Executive scrutiny includes the DoJ's examination on whether the surrender request satisfies the legal requirements and the Chief Executive's decision taking into account the DoJ's advice. The judicial process includes open court hearings and application for judicial review (Note 1), habeas corpus (Note 2) or both by the person involved.
 
     The FOO has been operating effectively for over almost 22 years since its enactment, striking a balance between pursuit of fugitives and protection of human rights.
 
     The independence of the Judiciary is constitutionally provided for and enshrined in Article 85 of the Basic Law. At the same time, the tenure of office of judges is protected by Article 89 of the Basic Law.
 
     More importantly, the independence of judges is also reflected in the Judicial Oath, which is a solemn undertaking by every judge to serve the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and administer justice "without fear or favour, self-interest or deceit". The DoJ firmly believes that the Judiciary and all its judicial officers will continue to exercise judicial power in a fair and just manner, and free from any interference. 

Note 1: The Chief Executive's issue of authority to proceed or surrender order is susceptible to judicial review, see Robert Henry Cosby v Chief Executive of the HKSAR [1999] HKEC 691, Cheng Chui Ping v the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the United States of America [2002] HKCU 5.

Note 2: HO Man Kong v Superintendent of Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre [2011] HKEC 1037 is a case on habeas corpus.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 6) reported an update on its investigations announced on June 3 into a suspected outbreak of food poisoning related to a restaurant in Kowloon Bay.

     To date, 13 clusters involving 32 persons have been identified. The affected persons comprise 13 males and 19 females aged 3 to 54. The patients developed abdominal pain, vomiting, fever and diarrhoea about four to 27 hours after having meals at the restaurant or consuming meals bought from there on June 2.
 
    Twenty-nine of the affected sought medical attention and seven required hospitalisation. Among them, two have been discharged upon management. All patients are in stable condition.

     "Epidemiological investigations show that all cases had meals from the restaurant concerned before investigation and control measures instituted by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). We have alerted the FEHD to the additional clusters and investigations are ongoing," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     To prevent food-borne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:
 

• Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
• Avoid eating raw seafood;
• Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
• Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hot pot or barbecue meal;
• Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
• Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.

    In response to media enquiries on the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD)'s report released today (June 6) on Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (Cathay)'s data breach incident, a spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau made the following response:

     "The Government noted that the PCPD had concluded that Cathay had, inter alia, not taken all reasonably practicable steps to protect the affected passengers' personal data against unauthorised access in terms of vulnerability management, adoption of effective technical security measures and data governance. In this connection, the PCPD has ordered a series of enforcement actions. Cathay is urged to take immediate remedial actions accordingly.
 
     "The PCPD pointed out in its report that there is no statutory requirement for data breach notification at the moment. This will be taken into account when the Government develops proposals to update the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. The Government will work closely with the PCPD and consult stakeholders, including the Legislative Council, along the way."

     To facilitate the restoration of native fisheries species of high commercial value and enhancement of local fisheries resources in the long run, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) released fish fingerlings in the northeast waters of Hong Kong yesterday (June 5) and today (June 6). The programme is also to tie in with National Fish Release Day and World Oceans Day this month for promoting public awareness of marine conservation and sustainability of fisheries resources. Similar releases will also be conducted later this year.
 
     A spokesperson of the AFCD said, "The Government is highly concerned about the conservation of marine resources and the sustainable development of Hong Kong fisheries. Following the implementation of the ban on trawling in Hong Kong waters and a series of other complementary fisheries management measures to control fishing efforts in Hong Kong since 2012, it is a suitable time to take a further step in restoring the marine fisheries resources by a carefully planned restocking. The information obtained in this programme will be very useful for our planning of future resources enhancement measures.
 
     "We have just released some 6 000 Hong Kong grouper (Epinephelus akaara) and 2 000 star snapper (Lutjanus stellatus) fingerlings in the northeast waters of Hong Kong. They are both native species of high commercial value with populations that have declined in the past decades. There are natural rocky reefs, boulders and artificial reefs previously deployed by the AFCD in the northeast waters of Hong Kong, which are suitable for Hong Kong groupers and star snappers to inhabit, and can provide suitable habitats, protection and sufficient food for the fingerlings released. We have previously found Hong Kong groupers and star snappers in these waters as well, indicating the release sites are natural habitats of these species."
 
     The spokesperson added that the fingerlings for the restocking came from reputable hatcheries. They have undergone quarantine procedures for common fish diseases to ensure good health condition, and have been acclimatised in local waters before release.
 
     In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the restocking, the AFCD will conduct underwater visual surveys regularly to record the condition of the released fingerlings. In addition, the AFCD has implanted small external plastic tags under the dorsal fins of a proportion of fingerlings for individual tracking and monitoring. Each tag is printed with a four-digit code, the short form of the AFCD in both Chinese and English, and the government hotline 1823. If members of the public have incidentally captured or observed any tagged fingerlings of Hong Kong groupers and star snappers, please record the relevant information and report it to the AFCD through 1823.

     For details, please visit www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/fish_cap/fish_cap_con/restocking/restocking.html.