Thai Hospital Fined Hundreds Of Millions Due To Patient Medical Records Used As Fried Wraps

JAKARTA - A private hospital in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand, was fined 1.21 million baht or around Rp. 609 million after the patient's medical record was used as fried food or street food.

This case came to light after an influencer known as the Panda Doctor Lab uploaded a photo of a medical document used to wrap Thai snacks called the Tokyo khanom, a type of crunchy krepe.

In the upload, it is clear that the patient's data, including one sheet, shows information about a man who is infected with hepatitis B virus. The influencer wrote in the tone of asking, "I'll continue to eat this, or is that enough?"

The upload was made in May 2024 and went viral immediately, getting more than 33 thousand reactions and 1,700 comments on social media. Many netizens strongly criticize the hospital.

On August 1, 2024, Thailand's Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC) announced the results of the investigation. Apparently, more than 1,000 classified documents were leaked during the process of destroying files.

The hospital handed over the work of destroying documents to a small family business without supervision. Instead of destroying them, the contractor kept documents at home and did not notify the hospital when the document leaked.

PDPC stated that the action violated Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act, which requires medical personnel and health institutions to maintain patient data confidentiality. In addition to hospitals, the owner of the destruction attempt was also fined 16,940 baht or Rp8.5 million.

Now, many comments strongly condemn this negligence.

"The patient's privacy rights must be prioritized. This hospital should be prosecuted and the permit revoked," commented the netizen.

There are also those who criticize food traders who use used paper carelessly.

Buyers have to boycott shops that use recycled packs like this. Medical documents should be destroyed, not sold.

Meanwhile, some people are worried about health risks, although the chances of hepatitis B transmission through paper are fairly low.

Virus hepatitis B may not be easily transmitted through paper. But we are worried that the paper has been held by anyone, and printed ink can contain poison," wrote another user.

This case has been one of six personal data violations that have been resolved by PDPC since Thailand's 2019 Personal Data Protection Act was fully enforced. This fine is also a reminder that negligence in managing patient data can lead to severe sanctions and loss of public trust.