What are the cases in which a doctor is obligated to conceal a patient's information, and those in which they are obligated to report it?
It is permissible for a physician to inform the patient's family about their illness if the patient's condition necessitates it for treatment and care. It is also obligatory to inform government authorities about infectious diseases if required. Otherwise, a physician is not permitted to disclose patients' secrets, especially if doing so would cause harm, for Allah Almighty is the Coverer of faults, who loves to cover them. There are indeed religious texts that encourage covering a Muslim's faults and not disclosing their secrets. Disclosing a secret is considered a betrayal and forbidden if it causes harm, and it is considered baseness even if it does not cause harm.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 148834
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy