Canadian Surgeon Accused Of Secretly Filming Patients During Procedure Without Their Consent

Dr. Martin Jugenburg, a plastic surgeon in Canada, is accused of filming exposed patients without seeking their permission. Known as ‘Dr. 6ix’, the 45-year-old cosmetic doctor allegedly took videos of patients in his Toronto clinic, some of them while undergoing sensitive procedures such as breast augmentation surgery, and posted some of the images on the Internet, according to The National Post.

Breach Of Confidentiality

A complaint has been filed against the doctor in a Canadian medical disciplinary panel. Among the accusations made against ‘Dr. 6ix’ is when he allowed a film crew, against the wishes of the patient, to record a breast augmentation surgery. “What this case is about is Dr. Jugenburg’s repeated breaches of his patients’ privacy, his repeated breaches of his patients’ confidentiality,” says Carolyn Silver, a lawyer representing Canadian regulators, during a presentation of evidence to the panel.

Silver added that the breaches committed by the plastic surgeon involved not only his own patients but also those who are seeing other physicians who happen to have offices in Dr. Jugenburg’s two-story clinic. The lawyer for the cosmetic doctor informed the panel Wednesday that while his client admits to committing professional misconduct, they are denying other allegations made against him.

No Written Consent

Dr. Jugenburg’s lawyer said that the patient who alleged her breast augmentation procedure had been recorded without her permission did give her consent, albeit verbally. The cosmetic physician, through his lawyer, said he would never have allowed a film crew to record the surgery if he had known the patient did not give her permission.

In an interview with The Toronto Sun, Dr. Jugenburg said: “I understood she consented to have the crew in the surgery, but only to film. There was no written consent and in hindsight, it is something I should have done.”

Two Dozen Cameras

The complaints against the plastic surgeon also claim there are 24 cameras installed in the clinic as early as 2017. A document submitted to the disciplinary panel says that there are warning signs, one in the main lobby and the other inside the operating room, informing patients about the presence of cameras.

Some of the recordings that were obtained by Canadian regulators show exposed breasts of patients, while others show their genitals or buttocks. A regulator in 2019 has ordered Jugenberg to remove all the cameras in places where patients are in danger of having their private parts exposed.