10/05/2026
The Right to be Forgotten: Why Patients are Not "Props" for Promotion
As I have recently started engaging more in creating social media educational content, I took the time to study the Codes of Conduct from different countries regarding professional social media use. During this research, I have made some observations about how we, as health professionals, sometimes use our patients to promote our work.
We often see posts showing children in clinics, surgeries in progress, or "before-and-after" photos. Usually, these stories focus on a doctor giving "free treatment" to a poor patient or showing "compassion" to someone in pain.
While the intention may be to show good work, we must ask ourselves: Is this true education, or is it unprofessional promotion? Compassion does not need a camera, and providing care is our duty—not a "trade" for a patient’s privacy.
A Global Standard of "Digital Dignity"
Around the world, medical bodies are moving toward a "privacy-first" approach:
Scandinavia (The "Right to be Forgotten"): They believe every child has the right to grow up without their childhood illness being a permanent, searchable record on Google.
USA, Canada, & Australia: Strict laws mean that if a patient can be recognized, the doctor faces massive fines. Using "success stories" for self-promotion is strictly banned.
Brazil, Mexico, & Spain: These countries argue that using a patient’s life story for "likes" violates human dignity.
Ethiopia (The "Defender of the Child"): Under our EMA Code of Ethics and the new Data Protection Proclamation 1321/2024, we are the legal guardians of a patient's secret. We must protect their Kibir (Honor) above all else.
The Consent Trap: Protecting the Future
In Ethiopia, written consent is a legal requirement. However, for children, a signature is not enough. A worried mother, focused only on saving her child’s life, may give consent without understanding the long-term "digital footprint" it creates. As physicians, we must not exploit a parent’s lack of digital knowledge.
The Double Standard: A Question of Integrity
There is a loud irony here: Many doctors who post their patients' children never post their own families online.
"If a digital footprint is too dangerous for your own children, it is too dangerous for your patients’ children."
The "Off-Camera" Compassion World
I want to honor the silent doctors—those who work tirelessly off-camera. There is a whole world of off-camera compassion where lives are saved and dignity is preserved without the need for a "shout-out" on social media. To the doctors who believe that the best work is done in private: Your integrity is the backbone of our profession.
However, sometimes it is good for us to come out and say something. We need a unified voice to protect our patients’ futures.
To my fellow colleagues, professional associations, regulatory bodies, and the Ministry of Health (MOH) What are your opinions? How can we better protect our patients in this digital age?
Disclosure: The views expressed in this post are my own personal observations and are intended to foster ethical dialogue among colleagues.
References
1. Ethiopia Federal Negarit Gazette. Personal Data Protection Proclamation No. 1321/2024. Addis Ababa: Berhanena Selam Printing Enterprise; 2024.
2. Ethiopia Federal Negarit Gazette. Health Service Administration and Regulation Proclamation No. 1362/2024. Addis Ababa: Berhanena Selam Printing Enterprise; 2024.
3. Ethiopian Medical Association. Medical ethics for doctors in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Medical Association; 2010.
4. European Parliament and Council of the European Union. Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (General Data Protection Regulation). Official Journal of the European Union. 2016;L119:1-88.
5. Kingdom of Norway. Act of 15 June 2018 No. 38 relating to the processing of personal data (The Personal Data Act). Oslo: Ministry of Justice and Public Security; 2018.
6. Australian Government. Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009. Section 133: Advertising. Canberra: Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency; 2009.
7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HIPAA Privacy Rule: 45 CFR Part 160 and Subparts A and E of Part 164. Washington (DC): Office for Civil Rights; 2003.
8. Conselho Federal de Medicina (CFM). Resolução CFM Nº 2.336/2023: Altera as normas de publicidade e propaganda médica. Brasília: CFM; 2023.
9. General Medical Council. Doctors' use of social media. London: GMC; 2013 (updated 2024).
10. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), S.O. 2004, c. 3. Toronto: Queen's Printer for Ontario; 2004
Ketsela Lemma: MD, MPH, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Maternal Fetal Medicine sub-specialist
Telegram: t.me/HakimMereja
