Six nurses question handling of sexual harassment cases involving CUHK Medical Centre ICU nurse

Some staff members are questioning the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Medical Centre's handling of several sexual harassment cases involving a male Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse, as he was only deployed away from his existing duty by the hospital after the allegations.

This came after at least six nurses reported to the hospital that an experienced nurse sexually harassed them in the form of unwelcome verbal conduct and physical contact.

However, some were disappointed with the hospital's response as the male nurse involved was only removed from ICU duties and reassigned to other departments. 

Sources said the male nurse has not been demoted, and the hospital also urged the staff members to keep the incident confidential, raising concerns about the arrangement of the incident.

CUHK Medical Centre confirmed on Monday that they have received the complaints and launched an internal investigation.

It stated that disciplinary action was taken in accordance with established mechanisms, including reprimanding relevant personnel, issuing a warning letter and transferring the person to another department based on the investigation findings.

Regarding the allegations that the victims were instructed not to disclose the incident, the hospital clarified that it is standard practice for their human resources department to advise colleagues against disclosure of information during the investigation due to personal privacy considerations, internal investigations, and punishments.

Based on the outcome of the internal investigation, the hospital believed there was insufficient evidence that the complaints involved criminal offenses. Thus, the hospital did not report the case to the police. 

It added that the hospital has not prohibited staff from reporting the cases to the police.