Patients Need Privacy
HOW much information should a doctor put on a sick leave form? Current practice in both state and private hospitals is to state the full diagnosis.
Is this ethical?
Say I have genital ulcers, should the doctor state my disease or use another general term like genitourinary disease meaning a disease on the genitals or urinary system without specifying the disease?
You may say it’s my fault, why did I get a genital disease, shouldn’t I have used protection? Do I lose my rights of privacy simply because I have been reckless? Who is the judge?
Doctors are in breach of the Hippocratic Oath, which compels them not to disclose patient illness to third parties. In the case of a sick leave, the supervisor`s secretary sees the diagnosis, the supervisor and the personnel department. Do all of these have a right to know my illness?
The Namibian patient charter clearly says that disclosure of patient details can only be done under instruction of the magistrate, even there the magistrate has to be satisfied with reasons why another person should know about my illness. It’s simply unethical and illegal.
Yet, how are we going to guard against workers who abuse sick leave or doctors who give unnecessary sick leave? But even if the disease is disclosed anyone can still abuse the right to sick leave. An employer can report a doctor to the medical and dental council`s ethics committee which can investigate the doctor’s conduct.
There are still avenues for checking abuse of sick leave but not disclosure of patient sickness. Every doctor would agree that patient rights are being abused daily.
Why should an employer or anyone know what the worker is suffering from?
There are laws which govern infectious diseases to make sure that sick patients do not spread these diseases to other workers. I have had calls from security companies who ask me what their workers suffer from. I always tell them that the worker has a right to privacy as much as the employer enjoys the same rights.
Ministry of Health needs to revise the sick leave certificate.
Concerned physician
By email