The Hong Kong public healthcare provider’s “conservative” approach to medical incidents gave rise to the leaking of patient records by two doctors, a patients’ rights advocate has said.
Alex Lam, a solicitor and chairman of the concern group Hong Kong Patients’ Voices, made the remarks on an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday morning, two days after the two doctors at Tseung Kwan O Hospital were arrested over a leaked patient information case.
The pair, aged 35 and 57, reportedly leaked patient records to urge family members of a deceased patient to take action against alleged malpractice committed by their colleague.
Lam said that the Hospital Authority (HA) had long been “conservative” and slow in reporting serious medical incidents, leading to public concern about potential cover-ups by the public healthcare provider.
In recent months, the HA has made a point of fostering a “speak-up culture” to develop an environment of open community and a culture of safety.
“To be frank, the Hospital Authority sowed the seeds for this to happen,” Lam said. “If it cannot even speak out for itself, how can it expect its subordinates to report certain incidents or even on their superiors?”
Whistle-blowers?
On the same programme, medical sector lawmaker David Lam said leaking patient data to family members was “inappropriate,” even though the duo might have believed they were in the right.
Lam, who sits on the governing committee of Tseung Kwan O Hospital, said that the two physicians had included too many of their own judgements when leaking the information.
The doctors’ analysis of what they apparently believed to be a case of misconduct might not have been an objective appraisal, Lam said, questioning whether they could be considered “whistle-blowers.”
If doctors believed their colleagues had inadequacies, they should speak to their colleagues’ superiors, Lam said, instead of reaching out to the patient directly. “Wouldn’t that be strange?” he asked.
According to the HA, an investigation revealed unauthorised access to a patient’s personal information, including their address and phone number.
It was also suspected that internal documents with other patients’ information were improperly leaked to a third party without authorisation.
Kenny Yuen, chief executive of the hospital, on Monday maintained that the data leak was an “isolated incident” and that the HA had stringent protocols.
The two doctors were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of accessing a computer with dishonest intent. One has been placed on leave, while the other has resigned.
Separately, in a Monday social media post, lawmaker Michael Tien questioned whether there were legal or established channels for the HA or the Hong Kong Medical Council, which handles misconduct cases, to make reports.
He also wondered why the two doctors had to anonymously access and disclose patient records without authorisation if there were sufficient reporting channels. It was possible the two doctors could have acted out of a sense of “justice,” Tien said.
