Philippine doctors in hot water over Youtube video

Medical staff in the Philippines who allegedly videoed a man having an operation to remove a perfume canister from his anus and then posted it on the Internet risk getting fired and having their licenses revoked, a Department of Health official said on Wednesday.

“We have to investigate first to determine the facts. If true, the staff concerned should of course be made answerable to (the) full extent for violating the patient’s right to privacy and confidentiality,” said Health Undersecretary Alexander Padilla.

The video, which was posted on YouTube but then removed, showed medical personnel from a hospital in the central Philippines holding their cell phones and pointing them at the patient’s anus to take pictures while a doctor removed the canister and the other staff in the room laughed and cheered.