Fri, May 22, 2026 page3

• Thirty-five clinics breach privacy laws

  CRACKDOWN CONTINUES: The clinics have been ordered to suspend operations, and local governments would later publish a list of those clinics, an official said

  • By Lo Pi and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Thirty-five cosmetic clinics nationwide were found to have breached patient privacy regulations during a recent wave of inspections prompted by hidden camera controversies, with New Taipei City recording the most number of offenses at 14, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.

  A special task force found that 35 of 720 inspected clinics contravened the law, Department of Medical Affairs Deputy Director Liu Yu-ching (劉玉菁) said.

  The first wave of inspections focused almost entirely on cosmetic clinics, accounting for about 99 percent of the targets, she said, adding that the goal was to find out whether the clinics had installed illegal surveillance cameras.

  

  Inspectors look for surveillance cameras at a cosmetic clinic in Hsinchu City earlier this month.

  Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu City Government

  The 14 clinics were each handed the maximum fine of NT$500,000, Liu said.

  The inspections were carried out after a branch of Airlee Group Co (愛爾麗集團) and other clinics were reported to have installed surveillance cameras that encroached on patient privacy.

  Other clinics were also investigated, given the risk of patients’ privacy being violated, as they had to change clothes or bare parts of their bodies, Liu said, adding that inspections prioritized checking whether clinics had installed surveillance cameras, were recording people without their consent and how they manage their recordings.

  Taoyuan had the second-highest number of clinics that contravened the law at six, followed by Kaohsiung with five, Taipei and Taichung with three each, Hsinchu City with two, and Tainan and Changhua County with one each, she said.

  “The public can feel at ease,” as the clinics have been ordered to suspend operations, she added.

  Regarding concerns that the inspections only targeted large cosmetic chains, Liu said that they were inspecting medical facilities in general and were not targeting chains or specific brands.

  As for calls that the ministry reveal the list of clinics that had contravened the law, Liu said local governments would publish the results, and the central government is monitoring their progress in compiling the data.

  Some cases have not yet been processed, which could lead to changes in the number of clinics found to have contravened the law, she said, adding that local health officials would continue inspections and update the numbers.

  The probe follows a four-point consensus reached by the ministry on Wednesday last week regarding the use of recording equipment in medical institutions.

  Under the new guidelines, the use of hidden recording devices is strictly prohibited, although standard cameras may be installed in public areas for security purposes, Liu said.

  Recording in low-privacy spaces, such as general consultation rooms, is only permitted with the explicit consent of the patient, while recording in high-privacy spaces — such as operating rooms — is prohibited, she said.

  Additional reporting by CNA
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