Guest Comments by the Civic Exchange
A Public-Policy Think-Tank
HONG KONG – The Hospital Authority here has agreed to pay a substantial sum in final settlement of a legal action brought by Martin Jacques, author of the international best-seller When China Rules the World, and his 11 year-old son Ravi over the death of his wife, Harinder Veriah, in the Ruttonjee Hospital on January 2, 2000.
An inquest in November 2000, at which Jacques reported that his wife, an Indian-Malaysian, had complained to him about being “bottom of the pile” in the hospital, acted as a catalyst for a major public campaign in support of anti-racist legislation. Eventually, that led to the introduction (in July 2008) of Hong Kong’s first-ever such law.
Thirty-three-year-old Harinder had suffered a grand-mal epileptic fit at 1 a.m. on January 1, 2000, and was admitted to the Ruttonjee Hospital. She suffered another fit the following morning and soon died.
Jacques always insisted that clinical negligence led to her death. He flew to Hong Kong from London to be in court for the settlement.
Guest Comments by Martin Jacques
The settlement demonstrated that the Hospital Authority was neither willing, nor able, to defend its treatment of my wife. Hari’s death was entirely unnecessary and utterly avoidable. The hospital succeeded in turning what is a commonplace event in many people’s lives into a human catastrophe.
Hari complained to me on the last occasion when I saw her in the hospital that she was ‘bottom of the pile’ there. It was her way of saying she was suffering from racial discrimination. I always have believed that if Hari had been white or Chinese she would be alive today.
It’s tragic that the care of those who are ill can be prejudiced by their colour. But as Hari found out during her 14 months in Hong Kong, racism is endemic to Hong Kong society. It affects the behavior and attitude of every section of society, including hospital professionals.
I’m very pleased that two years ago Hong Kong introduced anti-racist legislation. It’s a positive recognition of the need to confront the problem. Of course, the legislation is extremely weak and inadequate and represents only a baby step. But first steps often are only baby steps. The next battle must be to toughen the legislation and make sure it’s enforced.
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