Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital loses patient data on USB flash drive
Red faces at Sanatorium after thumb drive holding medical and personal details mislaid
A private hospital catering to wealthy patients and members of the city's power elite yesterday revealed that it has lost a USB memory device holding personal data on 68 patients.
It held data on 36 bone density test results, 19 live configuration tests, 10 patient information change notifications and three case studies from the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology.
It also held the names, birthdates and identity card numbers of patients who had attended the hospital between 2008 and last year.
None of the information was encrypted or password-protected. No home addresses or phone numbers had been stored on the flash drive, however.
A spokeswoman for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data said the commissioner received a report from the Hong Kong Sanatorium yesterday afternoon. She said the commissioner would follow up on the incident and conduct a compliance check if necessary.