Article 13 of Law on the Practice of Medicine and Allied Health Professions

A practitioner is prohibited from disclosing a secret concerning a patient, whether that secret came to his knowledge or he discovered it through practising his profession, or the patient entrusted it to him, or he heard it from another person. This prohibition applies to everyone who has learned of the secret among the employees of the health establishments concerned or of other entities. Nevertheless, the secret may be disclosed in the following cases: 1 - In execution of a written order issued by the court, the Public Prosecution, or a competent investigative authority, or when appearing before those authorities. - Disclosure to the other spouse of marital medical matters and issues relating to either spouse. Disclosure shall be made to either of them personally after obtaining the written consent of the spouse concerned. Such consent is not required if the disclosure wards off an imminent health danger to the other spouse. - Disclosure to the competent official authorities with the intention of preventing the commission of a crime or reporting it. 4 - Reporting a communicable disease in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations issued in this regard. Creation shall be restricted to the entities designated by the Ministry and in accordance with the provisions of Law No. (8) of 1969 AD on Health Precautions for the Prevention of Communicable Diseases. 5 - The patient’s written consent to the disclosure of his secret to the person or entity and within the scope he specifies. 6 - The exchange of information and data required by the exigencies of practising the profession, whether among the medical team, with the administrative apparatus of the health establishment, with the patient’s relatives, or with his legal representative in cases requiring this, provided that this takes place among them within the narrowest limits and to the extent necessary to perform their duties and tasks. - Cases of violence and child abuse in accordance with the provisions of Law No. (21) of 2015 concerning the Rights of the Child. - Cases of neglect and violence directed at elderly persons in accordance with the provisions of Law No. (18) of 2016 concerning Social Care for the Elderly. The Minister may issue a decision specifying the cases that must be reported, the entities to which reports are to be made, and the procedures to be followed. Law Index 759 Home Page Law on the Practice of Medicine and Allied Professions Law No. 70 of 2020 concerning the Practice of Medicine and its Allied Professions, Patients’ Rights and Health Establishments Prohibitions Applicable to the Practitioner