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A dentist who stole patient data, addresses, and phone numbers from a hospital he worked at was fined Dh20,000.
The individual utilized the information to call patients and offer them medical services at a private clinic he opened after leaving the hospital.
He was also ordered to compensate the hospital Dh50,000.
The Ras Al Khaimah Appeals Court affirmed a Misdemeanor Court verdict that sentenced the man for illegally collecting information and exploiting it for his gain without the permission of the medical center where he was working.
The defendant worked as a dentist for the hospital, but he stole patient data, addresses, and phone numbers.
After leaving the hospital, he called the patients to finish their therapy in his private clinic.
The hospital lost Dh389,000 when 202 patients went to the dentist. The hospital said the defendant took 80% of patients to his clinic.
The hospital argued that the defendant’s theft of their customers caused financial damages, reputation damage, and a lack of patient confidence owing to his incapacity to preserve their data.
Hospital requested Dh1 million in moral and monetary damages from the dentist.
In the legal memorandum, the defendant’s counsel said his client is an orthodontist who worked for the plaintiff and shared 50% of the hospital’s income.
The lawyer stated that the plaintiff confirmed this in the employment action, where he was paid Dh496,000 as a partner.
His client’s customer data, which he obtained as a doctor, was not secret, he maintained. The attorney requested dismissal.
The judge sentenced the dentist and ordered him to pay a Dh20,000 fine and Dh50,000 to the hospital.
The appeals court upheld the lower court’s ruling. BKM/ Expat Media
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