The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) made the following announcement today (September 12) regarding a suspected theft case:
 
     On September 10, a doctor's password-protected laptop computer, mainly used for clinical research and data analysis, was found stolen in an office. The computer contained name, identity card number, age, gender and clinical information of around 360 patients. The computer also contained the data of some patients who had died in earlier years.
 
     The office area is access-controlled by a digital lock and the concerned office has an independent door lock installed. The Hospital has reported the case to the Police and traced CCTV footage for investigation. QMH has also notified the Hospital Authority Head Office through the Advance Incident Reporting System and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.
 
     QMH apologises to the patients concerned and will start notifying the patients to explain the incident, and the notification will be completed by next week. Patients may contact the Patient Relations Office (2255 1366) for enquiries. Neither clinical services nor treatment for the patients was affected in the theft incident.
 
     The hospital is highly concerned about the incident. Security patrols will be strengthened and staff are reminded to be careful of the security of their personal belongings. If patients have discovered any illegal access to their personal data, please contact QMH for follow-up.

Ends/Thursday, September 12, 2019
Issued at HKT 19:30

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