Hong Kong mother Tang Kwai-sze’s highly publicized battle with liver failure — and two separate liver transplants — could have been avoided if her doctors had prescribed her the correct medication, it was revealed today.
Dr. Chui Tak-yi, chief executive of United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong, apologized to Tang’s family on behalf of the hospital today. An independent review panel has been launched to investigate United Christian’s handling of Tang’s case.
At a press conference today, Chui said two experienced specialist doctors had failed to realize Tang was a hepatitis B carrier when they put her on steroid treatment for a kidney problem in January, despite the fact that it was on her medical record.
When put on high-dose steroids, hepatitis B carriers are usually prescribed antiviral medication to reduce the risk of liver failure. However, as she had not received the necessary antivirals, Tang began suffering from acute hepatitis and was admitted to the hospital on April 1 with progressive liver failure.
The mistake was discovered on April 6, after Tang had been given antiviral drugs and transferred to Queen Mary, but she was already dying and in dire need of a new liver.
The proceeding appeal for donations attracted widespread media attention after Tang’s 17-year-old daughter, Michelle, was barred from acting as a live organ donor for being three months under the age limit. To save her life, Tang had to undergo two liver transplants, but remains in intensive care after developing a lung infection.
Michelle told reporters that United Christian Hospital had made no effort to communicate with her family after discovering the mistake on April 6. “They never reached out to us or kept us updated,” she said. “I made an inquiry on April 19 but they repeatedly refused to give me black-and-white confirmation of the mistake until 11am today, at which point they gave me very short notice of this press conference.”
When asked if she accepted the hospital’s apology, Michelle said, “How about if I apologize to them 100 times, would they give me back a healthy mother?”
Reader Interactions