Notorious Hong Kong gangster in legal battle over medical treatment he receives in prison
Yip Kai-foon, paralysed during a shoot-out with police in 1996, claims authorities have violated his rights by denying him traditional Chinese medicine
A paraplegic prisoner who was once Hong Kong’s most wanted man is seeking a judicial review over the Correctional Services Department’s refusal to provide him with access to traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
In a claim filed in the High Court earlier his week, Yip Kai-foon, who is serving a 36-year jail term in Stanley Prison, noted that Hospital Authority doctors treating him had indicated that Western medical treatment would not improve his condition.
Yip said that Dr Ko Wing-man, now secretary for food and health, had advocated that he receive complementary traditional Chinese medicine treatment alongside Western treatment. But over the years the department had turned down his requests for the additional care.
The decision was discriminatory of his protected status as a prisoner under the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, and the Bill of Rights Ordinance, Yip claimed in his submission.
“The right to receive medical treatment by a prisoner is a strong fundamental right.”
It is understood the prison authority was concerned about who would bear responsibility should any issues related to Chinese medicine treatment arise.
