Honorary Fellow Dr LEUNG Kwok Ling Ares (2021)

Dr Ares LEUNG graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1984. During his internship in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, he has discovered an interest to pursue a career in the specialty of O&G. However, his wish to stay behind in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital was not granted. Instead, he was assigned to the newly opened Prince of Wales Hospital under Professor Allan CHANG. Well, not all doctors allocated to the New Territories turned up to work as there were no interns at the Prince of Wales Hospital those days. Dr LEUNG knew that this was his only opportunity to receive the O&G training and he took up the chance. It turned out to a great blessing in disguise as he was hugely inspired by Professor CHANG, who has provided not only fundamental clinical training, but also opportunities for conducting research and development of new clinical services. With the help of Professor CHANG, Dr LEUNG conducted a research on prostaglandins as a first-year trainee and published his first paper in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Dr LEUNG was married in 1986 and started his young family during his training. He passed his MRCOG examination in 1989 at his first attempt and was appointed ‘Clinical Lecturer’ at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in the same year. In the early 90’s, Dr LEUNG was heavily involved in the development of operative laparoscopy and hysteroscopy in Hong Kong. He was among the first to perform the laparoscopic salpingectomy, endometrial ablation and hysteroscopic myomectomy at the Prince of Wales Hospital and Hong Kong.

In 1993, he left the Chinese University of Hong Kong to set up his private practice and later established his successful private group of specialists.

Dr LEUNG is a long-term servant of the HKCOG. His service could be dated back to 1992, when he was asked by Professor Allan CHANG to be the secretary in the CME Committee. Despite his busy clinical schedule, he continued to serve in various committees of the College, as a member or chairman. He became the President of the College between 2013 and 2015. Alongside his usual duties as the President of the College, he established the alternate Medical Professional Indemnity, the MPI-AON in Hong Kong in 2016.

Many of us would have remembered that in December 2014, the Medical Protection Society (MPS) unilaterally announced the abrupt change of the MPS scheme in O&G from occurrence-based to claim-made based from 2015 onwards. On behalf of the stakeholders in Hong Kong, Dr LEUNG flew alone in the cold winter of January 2015 to the head quarter of MPS in the UK, trying to persuade them to reconsider or postpone their decision. His attempt was of no avail as his enthusiasm was met with glacial reception. Coming back from the UK, Dr LEUNG held discussion with representative from the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Hong Kong, and there came the birth of the idea that Hong Kong needs an alternative MPI. Various colleagues in the medical, insurance and legal fields were consulted. Dr LEUNG was the only person who was involved in every single meeting and discussion. With his endeavour and determination, the new MPI with AON was made available in Hong Kong in 2016. It has provided our fellows an additional option. As part of the promise, AON made significant donation to the HKCOG for risk management purpose. In addition, with the competition of MPI-AON, the MPS has subsequently promised to offer tail-end MPI cover after retirement, as a way to improve their attractiveness.

Dr LEUNG believes in credentialing and regulation of standard in medical practice. He served ACHS, an Australian hospital accreditation body that accredits private and public hospitals in Hong Kong. He was a member of the Education & Accreditation Committee of the Hong Kong Medical Council for 6 years. He is also a member of the Hong Kong Dental Council from 2019. He has participated heavily in organizational and governance activities in the Union Hospital and in private medical groups.

Dr LEUNG was an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor and undergraduate examiner in O&G for both the HKU and CUHK previously. He has also donated prizes to medical and nursing students in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, his Alma mater. He taught in workshops organized by the Medical Protection Society on clinical risk. He has also served as examiner for the Part 3 Membership Examination for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

In 2018, he has donated to the College for establishment of the Dr Ares LEUNG Research Award. This award is given yearly to trainee doctors with the best research papers. The first Dr Ares LEUNG Research Award was awarded in 2020.

Dr LEUNG works his socks off to build up his glamorous O&G career despite the hardship. He is one of the most long-serving O&G specialists for the HKCOG, including being our past President. He has made tremendous contributions to the O&G field in Hong Kong.

Mr President, I present Dr LEUNG Kwok Ling Ares, for the Honorary Fellowship of The Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Dr LEUNG Tse Ngong
at the conferment ceremony in 2021