Doubts about the ethics of a prominent fertility doctor



ORIGINAL POST
Posted by asinclair 9 yrs ago
My wife and I have started consulting with a prominent fertility doctor in Hong Kong (one who has a large number of very positive reviews in this forum, as it happens).
As my wife is in her mid forties, the doctor went to great lengths to explain that even with IVF, the chances of conception are very very low.
To illustrate his point, he pulled out a patient file (who was of similar age to my wife) and showed it to us, highlighting that said patient had to go through the process three times before finally succeeding in getting pregnant.
What really concerns me is that he made no effort to hide the patient's name. Even going as far as to point our attention to the label, which had her birthdate quite close to my wife's.
To make matters more worrisome, he pulled the file from a cabinet behind his desk which contained only a few files, which I assume he keeps handy precisely to illustrate such points to new patients.
Although, for all I know, he actually might have explicit permission from said patient to show her file, this still feels like a very severe breach of doctor-patient confidentiality, which in the US or in Europe could easily lead to having his medical licence suspended.
My wife and I are currently looking into working with another fertility doctor, but I wonder if such unethical behavior is normal for Hong Kong, or if we should report it post haste, and to whom.

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COMMENTS
scorpio01 9 yrs ago
welcome to hong kong

i would have immediately confronted the doctor .. but that's just me

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nwyam 9 yrs ago
That certainly doesn't sound right Asinclair. There are really strict regulations regarding data protection and fertility treatments in Hong Kong.

Handling of complaints - pg 37 http://www.chrt.org.hk/english/service/files/COP.pdf

This suggests you should complain to the fertility centre first and then if not satisfied, go to the medical council.

I have had two cycles with my fertility doctor and the patient records are kept in a storage area behind reception where the nurses have access rather than in a cabinet in the doctor's office.

I am happy to recommend my doctor if you and your wife would like to consider an alternative. We are now pregnant from the second cycle =D and I'm classed a "mature" mum in Hong Kong!

Please PM me if you'd like the details.

Good luck with everything!

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StrawberryPie 9 yrs ago
That is unethical. Report him and go elsewhere!
Hong Kong is a very small place. and everyone knows everyone especially if you do business.
Imagine him showing your file to a client.

Not acceptable

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