Two public hospital doctors in HONG KONG have been released on bail following their arrest on suspicion of leaking a patient’s confidential medical information.The alleged motive was to accuse a surgeon of professional negligence.

Commentators have observed that the incident, while not constituting legitimate “whistle-blowing,” highlights the critical need for a more robust “speak-up” culture within the Hospital Authority.

The two individuals, a 35-year-old associate consultant and a 57-year-old consultant from Tseung Kwan O Hospital, were granted bail on Tuesday. They are scheduled to report to the police later in September.

According to sources, the pair allegedly accessed the medical records of a female pancreatic cancer patient who passed away after undergoing surgery. They then reportedly advised the patient’s family on initiating a formal complaint against the operating surgeon. both doctors are reportedly members of the hospital’s surgery department.

The patient’s medical records, along wiht those of other patients, were allegedly shared with the family with the intention of emphasizing the surgeon’s alleged deficiencies.

Dr David lam Tzit-yuen, a lawmaker representing the medical and health services sector, emphasized that the true purpose of “whistle-blowing” is to uphold justice and safeguard the public interest, not to level personal accusations.

“[The suspects] did not release any messages anonymously, but rather put in many of their own medical judgments, such as whether it should be done this way, whether it was done well and whether [the surgeon] was using [the patient] for practise. These contain a lot of accusations and judgments,” Lam told a radio show.

“[The suspects] did not release any messages anonymously… These contain a lot of accusations and judgments,”

Understanding Whistleblowing and Data Privacy