Doctor to the stars cleared over failure to record reason for using labour drug

Dr Liang Shuk-tak, a famed Hong Kong obstetrician who delivered babies for celebrities like Brigitte Lin, Cecilia Cheung, and Olympic diving champion Guo Jingjing, has been cleared of professional misconduct by the city's medical watchdog. The case revolved around allegations that Dr Liang failed to properly document her use of the labour-inducing drug Syntocinon on a patient who claimed the procedure left her traumatised.

During a full-day disciplinary hearing on Wednesday, the Medical Council inquiry panel chairman, Professor Fok Tai-fai, announced that Dr Liang was acquitted of the charge. The panel accepted there were no concerns about the adequacy of the patient's pelvis shape or size for it to be recorded. They also found that Dr Liang's clinical management was up to standard and resulted in a good outcome for the patient and her baby.

Both experts told the panel that failing to record the reason for administering Syntocinon was not a best practice, but they agreed it would not warrant lodging a complaint for professional misconduct. The complainant, Ma Kwai-lin, alleged that Dr Liang pressured her to undergo epidural analgesia or be given Syntocinon due to a specific time constraint.

Ma preferred a natural birth and claimed that Dr Liang instructed a nurse to perform an artificial rupture of membranes without proper examination or explanation. Dr Liang denied these allegations, stating that she administered Syntocinon due to the patient's slow labour progress and expected the midwife to record the reason for its use.