\u2022 Says cameras in gynae depts crosses a \u2018red line\u2019; accuses govt of choosing \u2018surveillance\u2019 over reforms
\n\u2022 Claims weak data laws risk leaks, political misuse; alleges no healthcare, patient groups consulted on this policy
\n\u2022 References Quaid-i-Azam\u2019s decision on health privacy<\/p>\n
LAHORE\/ ISLAMABAD: Incarcera\u00adted former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has criticised the provincial government\u2019s decision to mandate body-worn cameras for nurses and frontline hospital staff, warning the move will compromise medical confidentiality and erode patient trust.<\/p>\n
In a message relayed from Kot Lakhpat Jail through PTI leader and lawyer Shayan Bashir on Sunday, Ms Rashid argued that introducing continuous audio-visual recording in clinical environments risks fundamentally altering the relationship between medics and patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cPatients disclose personal information \u2014 physical, psychological, reproductive and familial \u2014 precisely because medical spaces are protected from exposure and surveillance,\u201d Ms Rashid said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven when recordings are not misused, the knowledge that one is being recorded can change patient behaviour, suppress honest disclosure, and discourage vulnerable populations from seeking timely care.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Punjab government recently announced the camera initiative, framing it as a measure for transparency and accountability in response to public dissatisfaction with state hospitals.<\/p>\n
However, Ms Rashid asserted that authorities have chosen \u201csurveillance over reform\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cHospitals are not police stations,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are spaces where people disclose their most intimate fears, illnesses and vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
A gynaecologist by profession, Ms Rashid expressed particular alarm regarding the policy\u2019s impact on women\u2019s health services. She stated that childbirth and gynaecological care involve physical exposure and emotional fragility, arguing that recording in such settings crosses a red line.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo circular, no SOP, no press conference can undo the damage caused when a woman feels watched instead of cared for,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n
Ms Rashid also questioned the administrative execution of the decision, noting there was no meaningful consultation with nurses, doctors\u2019 associations, or patient-rights groups.<\/p>\n
She raised structural concerns regarding data privacy, asking who would own the footage, how long it would be stored, and whether patients could refuse recording.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a system where data protection is weak and political misuse of information is not hypothetical, these are not technical gaps but structural dangers,\u201d Rashid said.<\/p>\n
To illustrate the ethical weight of privacy, Ms Rashid cited the historical example of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, whose serious illness was kept confidential during the Pakistan Movement.<\/p>\n
She noted that this was an ethical judgement rooted in the understanding that medical privacy can carry consequences far beyond the individual.<\/p>\n
The former minister contended that cameras are being used to scapegoat staff.<\/p>\n
She noted that issues such as staff shortages, medicine stock-outs, and broken equipment cannot be solved by surveillance. Instead, she called for patient exit interviews, independent grievance redressal, and training for paramedical staff in patient rights and de-escalation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2022 Says cameras in gynae depts crosses a \u2018red line\u2019; accuses govt of choosing \u2018surveillance\u2019 over reforms \u2022 Claims weak data laws risk leaks, political misuse; alleges no healthcare, patient groups consulted on this policy \u2022 References Quaid-i-Azam\u2019s decision on health privacy LAHORE\/ ISLAMABAD: Incarcera\u00adted former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has criticised the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15530,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15529"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15531,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15529\/revisions\/15531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}