Two public hospitals in Hong Kong apologise after data on 834 patients goes missing
- A laboratory work logbook with names, date of birth and identity card numbers of 815 patients is lost at Queen Mary Hospital
- In second incident, a doctor with Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Fung Yiu King Hospital leaves folder with information about dozens of patients in car park
Two public hospitals in Hong Kong have apologised after data concerning 834 patients went missing and vowed to review their handling of such sensitive information.
In one case, a doctor left a folder full of information about dozens of patients, including their names, ID card numbers and prescriptions in a car park.
The Hospital Authority revealed the incidents on Saturday and said police as well as the privacy commissioner had been alerted.
In the first incident at Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, a laboratory work logbook with the English names, date of birth and identity card numbers of 815 patients who were treated between February and August was lost.
The logbook was noticed missing on August 26 when an employee of the lab, which is jointly run by the hospital and the University of Hong Kong’s obstetrics and gynaecology department, wanted to put the information into a computer before disposing of the paper records.
“A thorough search was conducted, but in vain,” a spokesman for the Hong Kong West group of public hospitals said. “Subsequent to this incident, Queen Mary Hospital will review the workflow regarding the storage and disposal of the laboratory work log.”