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Need for medical privacy

By Chen Weihua (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-15 07:45

It would be sensational to say I witnessed a rape scene last weekend while waiting for a health checkup at a Beijing hospital. But what flashed before my eyes was truly horrifying.

I saw a doctor conducting a rectal examination on a man in front of three of his colleagues, without any curtain drawn for privacy.

It would be rather repulsive to graphically describe the whole process. But, it was definitely a lack of respect for personal privacy.

Absolutely nothing was private. Sitting in the waiting room, we could hear about a man who needed to fight harder against the plaque in his mouth, another with a possible hernia and another with a history of herpes. We were not the only audience - many of their co-workers were also present.

It is good that companies provide their employees with free health checkups annually. It gives people an increased awareness about their health, and helps detect potential problems at an early stage.

But I think most people would prefer to keep personal health details to themselves, rather than having it broadcast in front of their colleagues and bosses.

It must be completely mortifying for a young man to face his colleagues after they find out he is suffering from a weak kidney, or for a single woman to discover that everyone else knows about her vaginal infection.

These are not dramatic examples. They happen often in many Chinese companies as health examination reports arrive from hospitals. These reports are not often sealed and are easily accessible to anyone in the room. Why suspect your enemy at the water cooler for spreading rumors about you having kidney stones, a nasal infection or athlete's foot when a health examination will do it for you?

Sounds scary? It most certainly is. It is precisely why the Shanghai Morning Post recently reported some local white-collar workers were underselling their company's prepaid health checkup packages on the Web, because they did not want to go with their colleagues to a health checkup where personal medical information is not protected.

While gossip can be damaging to one's career, so can certain tidbits of medical information, if known to the employer. Some of it can potentially have a negative impact on their careers, or even cost them their jobs.

In Beijing, a middle school student took her school to court last month because it not only expelled her for being a hepatitis-B virus carrier, but also spread the information. She demanded a compensation of 180,000 yuan.

Despite a public outcry for a law to protect medical privacy, there is no such law in China at present. Violations of such privacy have been rife.

Employees in a company were recently asked to fill out a personal form including date of birth, gender, ethnicity, marital status, close relatives, height, weight, shoe and clothing size.

It fell short of asking men what size condom they use - which would at least help the country's family planning program.

Why cannot we value people's privacy? Before the Olympics, Beijingers were told to respect the privacy of foreign visitors by observing the "Eight Don'ts" - Don't ask about salary, age, marital status, religion, health etc

This concept should be instilled in medical checkups and in many other aspects. I hope the next time I go for one, no one but me hears about my health status. No one else should be able to watch or listen. It is time to put an end to these shows.

E-mail: chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn