The privacy of any patient is strictly protected.
Zhou Haimei. Photo by Beijing News reporter Guo Yanbing.
Text |Chen Guangjiang.
According to the Beijing News, on the evening of December 12, the news of the death of Hong Kong star Zhou Haimei was finally confirmed. At the same time, some netizens noticed that it was suspected that the rescue medical records of Zhou Haimei's last visit before her death were leaked. On the 13th, the reporter learned from a source familiar with the hospital involved that two people involved in the leakage of medical records had been found and handed over to **, one was a hospital employee and the other was a friend.
Because of the creation of many classic images such as "the most beautiful Zhou Zhiruo", the sudden death of Zhou Haimei, who was only 57 years old, attracted attention. Although celebrities who are public figures sometimes inevitably have to give up some of their privacy, this does not mean that celebrities do not have the right to privacy, and any unit or individual who violates their privacy rights will have to pay a price.
From the news of Zhou Haimei's death being "snatched" to the leakage of her rescue medical records, this way of paying attention to celebrities and artists has obviously deviated from the normal track and crossed the moral and legal bottom line. The reason why Zhou Haimei's medical records were leaked caused public anger was not only because this move violated public order and good customs and was suspected of violating the law, but also because people had a "sense of substitution" and saw the pain points and difficulties of privacy protection.
Since the screenshots of the electronic medical records circulated on the Internet record detailed various information such as Zhou Haimei's personal information, medical treatment time, and medical symptoms, it is not surprising that the public suspects that the initiator is an "internal ghost". Now that the leakage of electronic medical records has been revealed, the relevant personnel must be punished according to law.
According to the relevant provisions of the Physicians Law and the Law on Medical Practitioners, it is the obligation of physicians to protect patients' privacy and personal information in accordance with the law. If a doctor divulges the privacy of patients, he or she will face different degrees of punishment such as suspension of practice activities, revocation of practice certificates, and "banning" from the industry.
In fact, even though Zhou Haimei has passed away, her privacy is still protected by law. The Civil Code stipulates that if the privacy of the deceased is violated, his spouse, children and parents have the right to request the perpetrator to bear civil liability in accordance with the law. In addition, according to the relevant judicial interpretations of the Supreme People's Court, if there is "illegal disclosure or use of the privacy of the deceased, or infringement of the privacy of the deceased in other ways contrary to the public interest and social morality", the close relatives of the deceased have the right to claim compensation for moral damages through the court.
The leakage of Zhou Haimei's medical records also reflects some weaknesses in the current protection of patient privacy in the medical service field. In order to treat diseases and save lives, it is normal for medical institutions and their staff to know and grasp the privacy of patients, but due to the weak concept of privacy protection in the past, some medical institutions and their staff did not realize the importance of protecting patients' privacy, resulting in the phenomenon of infringing on patients' privacy was once prone and frequent.
In short, whether from the perspective of medical ethics or law, Zhou Haimei, who was sent to the hospital for rescue, is first and foremost a patient, and her privacy is no different from that of ordinary patients. This incident has once again sounded the alarm for some medical institutions: the privacy of any patient must be strictly protected, and the dignity of the individual cannot be placed anywhere.
Written by Chen Guangjiang (**person).
Edited by Xu Qiuying.
Proofreading Fu Chunshu.