Aussie hospital apologises after pregnant patients’ confidential medical details were posted to Instagram

Royal Darwin Hospital has been forced to issue an apology after multiple pregnant women’s information was leaked on a popular social media account.

Photos and videos were shared on an Instagram account allegedly linked to Dr Neda Mogharehabed, an overseas ‘medical observer’ who was visiting the hospital, the ABC reported. 

The content included images of an information sheet and a video of a staff meeting, during which the hospital workers were discussing a patient’s health.

The account has more than 28,000 followers. 

Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) management sent apology letters to the affected patients, understood to be about a dozen women.

‘The information visible about you from our handover sheet included your name, your hospital record number, the ward and bed number, the name of the consultant, the presenting problem, medical history, investigations, and plan of management,’ the letter said.

‘I recognise that learning of this incident may cause distress, embarrassment or concern about your privacy and your trust in our service.

‘You should not have had to experience this and we are deeply sorry.’

Dr Mogharehabed, who was working at the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology unit, would not confirm if she posted the content but said she ‘did not intend to disclose any patient information’.

‘I am sorry for the concern this situation has caused. At this stage, however, I cannot verify the origin or circumstances of the images,’ she told the ABC.

Dr Mogharehabed also didn’t confirm if she ran the Instagram account.

She claimed she received no training from RDH about social media use and its relation to patient confidentiality.

ABC Radio Darwin producer, Shanelle Tobin, was one of the affected patients.

While 17 weeks pregnant with her second child, she received a message from someone who’d seen her information posted on the Instagram account. 

Ms Tobin said the appointments were extremely personal and she’d discussed her previous pregnancy, sexual health and whether she’d been a victim of domestic violence.

‘It is a very vulnerable space and you’re just putting your trust in them that this is the cone of silence,’ she said.

She added that the ‘feeling of violation really set in’ when she realised how many followers the account had.

However, Ms Tobin planned to continue visiting RDH for her pregnancy and birth.

‘They are some of the hardest workers you could ever imagine and… I will put my trust back into those people because I know this is one individual who’s decided to act in a certain way,’ she said. 

The Daily Mail has contacted NT Health and Dr Mogharehabed for comment. 

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