ICAC launches prevention guide on management of obstetric services for private hospitals
2011-10-27
The ICAC has launched a corruption prevention guide to help private hospitals strengthen management and control in the administration of obstetric services.
Introducing the guide at a seminar jointly organised by the ICAC and the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association (HKPHA), ICAC’s Director of Corruption Prevention Mr Tse Man-shing said the joint project demonstrated HKPHA’s commitment to upholding ethical management and sound internal control.
In consultation with HKPHA, the ICAC has drawn up the corruption prevention guide, recommending safeguard measures to minimise the risk of corruption and malpractices which might arise from the overwhelming demand for obstetric delivery services at privat e hospitals, Mr Tse noted.
Also addressing the seminar, Chairman of HKPHA, Dr Alan Lau, said senior management of its member hospitals attached great importance to good governance and staff integrity.
“A sound system and honest staff is not only desirable for the hospitals, but also pivotal to meeting public expectation for good corporate social responsibility,” said Dr Lau.
Today’s seminar was attended by about 60 senior executives and managerial staff responsible for administration of the obstetric delivery services at 10 private hospitals.
The ICAC guide offers practical advice and recommends procedural safeguards for private hospitals such as handling requests and allocation of appointment bookings, as well as proper management of quota and admission procedures for delivery services.
On appointment bookings, private hospitals are advised to adopt a robust system to ensure bookings are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and exercise proper controls over the cancellation of appointments. Allocation of delivery service quota to outside agencies should be prohibited.
The guide also recommends a computerised database management system be set up to manage and record all bookings, with adequate access controls and an audit trail system to track any changes.
Meanwhile, security control with close supervision should also be put in place to prevent the misuse of the “Confirmation Certificate on Delivery Booking” distributed by the Department of Health.
Senior staff should be appointed as controllers to conduct regular checks of the inventory of blank certificates and the number of certificates issued against the number of relevant obstetric delivery service bookings made.
The guide is compiled by ICAC’s Advisory Services Group which provides free corruption prevention advice to private organisations upon request. Private hospitals are welcome to seek further advice from the Group in implementing corruption prevention measures.
The guide will be distributed to all private hospitals with obstetric services. It is also available for downloading on ICAC’s corporate website ( www.icac.org.hk ).
Introducing the guide at a seminar jointly organised by the ICAC and the Hong Kong Private Hospitals Association (HKPHA), ICAC’s Director of Corruption Prevention Mr Tse Man-shing said the joint project demonstrated HKPHA’s commitment to upholding ethical management and sound internal control.
In consultation with HKPHA, the ICAC has drawn up the corruption prevention guide, recommending safeguard measures to minimise the risk of corruption and malpractices which might arise from the overwhelming demand for obstetric delivery services at privat e hospitals, Mr Tse noted.
Also addressing the seminar, Chairman of HKPHA, Dr Alan Lau, said senior management of its member hospitals attached great importance to good governance and staff integrity.
“A sound system and honest staff is not only desirable for the hospitals, but also pivotal to meeting public expectation for good corporate social responsibility,” said Dr Lau.
Today’s seminar was attended by about 60 senior executives and managerial staff responsible for administration of the obstetric delivery services at 10 private hospitals.
The ICAC guide offers practical advice and recommends procedural safeguards for private hospitals such as handling requests and allocation of appointment bookings, as well as proper management of quota and admission procedures for delivery services.
On appointment bookings, private hospitals are advised to adopt a robust system to ensure bookings are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and exercise proper controls over the cancellation of appointments. Allocation of delivery service quota to outside agencies should be prohibited.
The guide also recommends a computerised database management system be set up to manage and record all bookings, with adequate access controls and an audit trail system to track any changes.
Meanwhile, security control with close supervision should also be put in place to prevent the misuse of the “Confirmation Certificate on Delivery Booking” distributed by the Department of Health.
Senior staff should be appointed as controllers to conduct regular checks of the inventory of blank certificates and the number of certificates issued against the number of relevant obstetric delivery service bookings made.
The guide is compiled by ICAC’s Advisory Services Group which provides free corruption prevention advice to private organisations upon request. Private hospitals are welcome to seek further advice from the Group in implementing corruption prevention measures.
The guide will be distributed to all private hospitals with obstetric services. It is also available for downloading on ICAC’s corporate website ( www.icac.org.hk ).