A British Columbia doctor who texted an unauthorized photo of a patient's catheter site along with a joke to somebody not involved in the case has been fined $20,000.
The province's College of Physicians and Surgeons says in a news release that Dr. John Joseph Kinahan, a urologist from Victoria, B.C., has admitted to the misconduct.
Details on when and where the incident occurred were not provided, although the college says it received a complaint from the patient and a breach-of-privacy report from the Island Health authority.
The college says the patient was unconscious when the photo was taken by Kinahan who used his personal cellphone.
Besides issuing the $20,000 penalty, the college has written Kinahan a formal reprimand, suspended him for six months starting Jan. 1, 2016, and ordered him to attend a clinician-patient communication program.
He must also further his education in the areas of ethics, boundaries and professionalism.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.