Date:05/06/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/06/05/stories/2006060507051200.htm

National

"How can patient information become public?"

Staff Reporter

We have taken oral consent from Rahul family: hospital chief

Information coming thick and fast in the form of bulletins and test results

Common man often unaware of rights to privacy

NEW DELHI: The general public have been getting a virtual minute-to-minute health status report on Rahul Mahajan, who was admitted to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital here in the early hours on Friday with "multiple organ dysfunction syndrome."

"As with any high profile case, Mr. Mahajan's misadventure has generated a lot of interest among the public. But what is amazing is how the media, hospital authorities and the police have been giving out privileged information to the public," said A. B. Dey, professor in the Department of Medicine, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"Mr. Mahajan is a patient who is being treated in a private hospital and any information about his health status is strictly private. This trust is being breached in case information is released without his family's consent," he said.

Medical community surprised

But with information coming thick and fast in the form of medical bulletins and urine and blood test results, the medical community is surprised at a strictly privileged communication between a patient and the hospital trickling out in the public domain.

Clearing doubts of "any breach," Apollo Hospital Medical Director Anupam Sibal said: "The hospital has taken verbal consent from the family before going public with the information. Mr. Mahajan is a public figure and we believe that correct information should be given about his health status."

Information passed on by the patient to a doctor is confidential, not to be shared under any circumstance, except when required by the police or an investigating agency.

Privacy rights

"As per the Medical Council of India, doctors cannot give out information about a patient till an informed consent is obtained. Otherwise, nobody has the right to know about the health status of an individual.In our country, this principle is strictly followed only in the case of HIV/AIDS patients and VIP patients. The common man is often unaware of his rights to privacy as a patient," said K. K. Aggarwal, president, Federation of National Capital Region.