JOUIR Clinic Fined NT$500,000, Suspended for 6 Months, and Prosecuted for Illegal Recording

(CNA, Kaohsiung, 18th, by reporter Tsai, Meng-yu) The "JOUIR Aesthetic Clinic" in Kaohsiung's Zuoying District was found to have installed surveillance cameras in its operating room and filmed patients' private body parts without their consent. The city's Health Bureau has imposed a fine of NT$500,000, ordered a 6-month suspension of operations, and simultaneously referred the case for legal prosecution.

The Kaohsiung City Health Bureau issued a press release today stating that in response to recent incidents involving some cosmetic clinics infringing on patients' medical privacy, the Kaohsiung City Government launched a cross-departmental special investigation. After days of inspection, the "JOUIR Aesthetic Clinic" in Zuoying District was found to have installed surveillance cameras in the operating room and filmed patients' private body parts without prior consent, seriously violating patient rights.

The Health Bureau explained that on May 11, special investigators inspected the JOUIR Aesthetic Clinic and found a total of 27 surveillance cameras on site, including 4 in the operating room, and a total of 8 in consultation rooms, treatment rooms, and laser rooms.

Upon further review of the operating room's surveillance footage, it was confirmed that patients' private body parts were recorded without obtaining prior written consent from the patients. This also violates the consensus reached at a recent meeting of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which strictly prohibits recording in operating rooms as they are spaces of high privacy.

The Health Bureau stated that to severely punish the illegal act and defend the core values of medicine, it has imposed a heavy fine of NT$500,000 and ordered a 6-month suspension of operations under the "Medical Care Act." The entire case has been transferred to the District Prosecutors Office for investigation of criminal liability.

The Health Bureau emphasized that it will continue to conduct vigorous inspections in accordance with the law and will not tolerate any malicious acts that infringe on patient privacy. It calls on the cosmetic medicine industry not to test the law and to jointly maintain a safe and reassuring medical environment. (Editor: Chen, Ching-fang)