North District Hospital announces event of suspected unauthorised access to medical records
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The spokesman for North District Hospital (NDH) today (February 28) announces an event of suspected unauthorised access to medical records:
NDH received a complaint from a staff member earlier, suspecting that her medical records had been accessed without consent. NDH attaches great importance to the event and immediately launched an investigation into the complaint. During the investigation, it was found that a doctor had performed multiple instances of access to medical records of 29 individuals, including patients and healthcare staff, without consent through the Clinical Management System (CMS).
As the event is serious and potentially involves criminal intent, NDH reported it to the Hospital Authority (HA) Head Office and decided to report it to the Police for investigation. NDH also reported it to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and will provide necessary support to the individuals who have been affected.
The doctor involved in the event was suspended from clinical duties and was forbidden to access the CMS.
The HA has always been committed to protecting patient data and privacy and has established a robust mechanism to protect the relevant data. Moreover, the HA has been providing training on the protection of personal and data privacy to reassure staff thoroughly understand its importance.
The HA attaches great importance to staff adherence to professional ethics, and reminds staff to stringently uphold professional ethics and enforce the compliance of protecting patient data and privacy. The HA will enhance monitoring of staff’s access to medical records. Also, the HA will enhance regular audits of healthcare staff’s access to medical records. NDH will fully co-operate with the Police investigation. If any inappropriate conduct is found after the investigation, the hospital will follow up seriously.