Doctor couple given suspended four-month registration removal over supermarket theft

Former Hospital Authority chief manager Vivien Chuang Wai-man and her orthopedist husband Chiu Ming-yu have each been ordered to have their names removed from the medical register for four months, suspended for two years, after they were convicted of shoplifting at an AEON supermarket.

The couple were found guilty of stealing items from an AEON store in Whampoa on April 23, 2022. The goods included a watermelon, a melon, strawberries, sashimi, sushi, puddings and chicken, with a total value of HK$1,632.80.

They later applied to the High Court for an appeal to the Court of Final Appeal but were refused. Each was fined HK$5,000.

At a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday morning, the Medical Council said their conviction had damaged the reputation of the medical profession.

In mitigation, the defense submitted letters from several senior medical figures. Former Hospital Authority chief executive Tony Ko Pat-sing praised Chuang’s achievements and contributions in microbiology and infectious disease control.

Yuen Kwok-yung, Chair Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Microbiology, said he had known Chuang for 20 years and described her as diligent, honest and committed to self-improvement.

Patrick Yung Shu-hang, clinical director of orthopaedics and traumatology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, described Chiu as professional, reliable and compassionate toward patients.

Taking into account the couple’s remorse, the court’s handling of the case and their contributions to medicine, the council ordered their names to be removed from the medical register for four months, with the penalty suspended for 24 months.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓