The patient has a right to confidentiality and privacy. Doctors and health care providing institutions including their agents and employees are obliged not to disclose information regarding the patient to any one else not directly concerned with the Patent’s care.
Confidentiality is a vital consideration since heath care providers might have in their possession sensitive and embarrassing personal information on the Patent’s health.
A patient has a right to refuse any visitor in the hospital not related with his care and treatment including media persons or social activists. He also enjoys the right to be protected from his condition being made public. Without the consent of the patient he cannot be photographed in hospital. A patient has a right to have a person of his own sex present during his physical examination by a doctor or member of the opposite sex.
However, information on communicable or contagious disease of any patient has to be furnished to the appropriate authorities. Pursuant to the orders of court, condition of any patient might be required to be disclosed as directed.
