I thought some readers might be interested in how privacy violations are handled in Singapore. From Channel News Asia:
A doctor has been fined S$10,000 and censured for accessing the medical records of two patients who were not under his charge.
32-year old Dr Tre’gon Singh Randhawa has also given the Singapore Medical Council a written undertaking not to engage in such conduct again.
The Council said a Disciplinary Committee Inquiry was held after it received a complaint on 17 August 2009 from the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where Dr Singh was employed and practised as a Medical Officer.
He initially faced 80 charges – three of which related to one patient, and the remainder to another.
The charges state he knowingly and intentionally accessed and read the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) of the patients who were not under his care, and he did not obtain their consent.
Read more on Channel News Asia. In both cases, the doctor had a personal relationship with the woman and the council took his motivation into account in determining the sentencing.
In some respects, this case is similar to a Vermont case where sentencing has not yet been handed out but the case was prosecuted in court as well as handled by the state medical licensing board.