Thai doctor condemned for livestreaming surgery

A Thai doctor was condemned after he livestreamed a TikTok video while doing surgery in theatre. The Medical Council of Thailand is searching for the identity of the doctor as it appears he has broken the law.

A Thai netizen posted a screenshot of the doctor’s live stream on Twitter with a caption that said, “A minute ago, a doctor was streaming a live video while taking care of a patient on TikTok. Is this suitable?”

The screenshot picture of the live video showed two comments from viewers saying…

“This violates a patient’s privacy!”

“Viewers know that this is unacceptable, but the doctor doesn’t. How can you work in a hospital without knowledge about a patient’s rights and doctor’s ethics?”

Several netizens revealed that they had seen live medical videos before but said they were posted by beauty clinics and cosmetic surgery centres. A number of people added that this is acceptable because those patients consented to be featured in the video for a review and discount.

The time on the screenshot picture also revealed that the live surgery was being broadcasted at 3am. Netizens speculated that it must have been an emergency operation.

Amarin TV reported that the doctor later apologised for his actions in the comments section under the video. The doctor said…

“I would like to apologise. I livestreamed the surgery because I thought the face of the patient and the surgery processes couldn’t be seen in the video. It is my fault. I apologise to everyone for my unawareness.”

The identity of the doctor and his TikTok account have not been reported.

The Permanent Secretary of the Medical Council of Thailand, Ittaporn Kanacharoen, revealed on Facebook that the council is aware of the issue. He said officials would investigate the case and punish the doctor according to the Medical Profession Act.

Ittiporn also urged netizens to send him information about the doctor via Facebook.

Ittiporn said in the interview with Amarin TV that it is a doctor’s right to stream live videos but issued a warning to him.

“These videos must not violate others’ rights, especially patients. That doctor must prove that the relevant people and the medical centre consented and agreed to be featured in the video. I recommend each doctor to learn more about the law. If there is anything unclear, they can check with the council.”

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— NUTTY ➿🧤🍒🌼 (@112Dior) October 30, 2022