Plastic surgeon to be disciplined for placing cameras in consultation room

Toronto - The College of Physicians of Ontario has made a formal allegation of misconduct against a Toronto plastic surgeon after a CBC Marketplace investigation revealed security cameras in his consultation room.The CBC reported that Dr. Martin Jugenburg, who calls himself "Dr. Six" online, will face a disciplinary hearing in July. He has since removed the cameras after being ordered to do so by the college.Undercover producers on the CBC show, one of whom was posing as a patient for a story about breast implants, spotted the security camera in the closed-door consultation room—a room where patients are often asked to get undressed.The producers were not told about the security cameras and several past patients of the clinic said they were not told either. There was also no signage in the clinic about the cameras.When the Martketplace team asked about the cameras a staff member told them it was "for the doctor's record," and that the office had to document everything for "legal purposes."A nurse later said the camera was "just a security camera, basically.""It's to protect you, too" she said. "And him. Like if someone ever said something happened and it didn't. Or stuff like that."In an email to a concerned patients, clinic staff later said the footage is automatically deleted from their system after a few weeks. Dr. Jugenburg also sent an email to all of his patients notifying them of the previous installation of the cameras and apologizing for not allowing them an opportunity to opt out of being filmed.One patient told the CBC she "felt pretty violated and very, very angry.""My first thought was, 'Why? What does he do with the videos?' Because, honestly, why would a doctor want a video of people with their tops off? It's not medically necessary. What was he using them for?"Though the province's privacy commissioner, Brian Beamish, declined to comment on the case specifically, he did tell CBC the situation was "unacceptable" and "intrusive," saying it was the first he had heard of a camera being used for surveillance in an examination room.He also said physicians using cameras for surveillance rather than strictly for clinical purposes—after a patient's consent has been explicitly provided—is "unjustified and would likely be a breach of our privacy law."The privacy commissioner has also launched an investigation.According to the CBC, Dr. Jugenburg said he is working with regulators to ensure his clinic is in compliance with all privacy and security standards and he confirmed that the consultation room cameras had been removed.Dr. Jugenburg is facing other allegations of misconduct related to violating advertising regulations, allowing a film crew into a surgical procedure without the patient's consent and posting photos of a patient online without her consent.These allegations will also be heard at the disciplinary hearing in July. Dr. Jugenburg said the allegations are "denied and being defended."

Plastic surgeon to be disciplined for placing cameras in consultation room

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