The Health Ministry today claimed the live feed from a surveillance system at Sungai Buloh Hospital was displayed on a monitor screen by accident during a ”trial run”.

This was in response to a Malaysiakini article last week where whistleblowers raised concerns over the use of several cameras at the hospital’s trauma unit, which they claimed violated patients’ privacy.

Nik Azmi Nik Ahmad Fathil, the press secretary to Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad, told reporters the cameras were installed to reduce dependency on manual work.

“This is so we (hospital workers) can do centralised monitoring.

“So what happened was during the (system’s) trial run, (the live feed from the cameras) was accidentally displayed on a big screen there.

“But when this happened, there was no patient inside the (resuscitation) suite,” Nik Azmi said, suggesting was a one-time incident.

He spoke to reporters after a press conference by Dzulkefly in Putrajaya, where the minister said the issue was considered solved but instructed the media to get more details from his press secretary.

However, what Nik Azmi told the press was contrary to information and evidence previously furnished by whistleblowers.

According to them, the cameras had been there for more than a year and their live feeds were displayed on several monitor screens almost all the time.

This was one of their points of concern as some of the cameras were pointed at areas where medical staff perform life-saving procedures in the trauma unit and under such circumstances, the patients’ clothes are removed.

They also claimed that the images are displayed using an unsecured live feed, including on monitors which can be viewed by non-relevant staff and even other patients.

When Malaysiakini pointed these out to Nik Azmi, he responded that he would have to check again.

“To be sure, can you please send me this information?

“This is so I can check again,” the press secretary said.

On July 30, Malaysiakini ran an exclusive report quoting whistleblowers about an unsecured surveillance system inside the hospital’s emergency department trauma unit.

Concerned about privacy issues, they pointed out that most patients treated at the unit were unaware of the cameras since those brought in would be in critical condition.

Following this, the Malaysian Medical Association urged the authorities to investigate the allegations.

MMA urges probe on hospital surveillance system

MMA urges probe on hospital surveillance system

Whistleblowers cry foul over unsecured surveillance system in hospital

Whistleblowers cry foul over unsecured surveillance system in hospital