Mishmeres HaSholom: Ask the Rav

Q: I work as a secretary in a well-known girls’ high school. An anonymous parent called to inquire about a girl in reference to a shidduch. Among other things, she wanted to know if there were any medical problems. In the context of my job, while filling out her insurance form (kept in confidentiality), I was privy to said girl’s serious medical issue. How should I reply?

A: If you have no idea who the inquirers are, you certainly should not divulge any medical information. If the questioners are familiar to you or you know who the proposed is, there are guidelines for the answer; an example being, “the information that I am privy to in my workplace is strictly confidential, and cannot be shared with outsiders.” From the above answer they will deduce that for serious inquiries, other sources should be approached as well.

The following questions and answers were taken from the Mishmeres Hasholom pamphlet in Israel. For details and inquiries please e-mail us at office@hasholom.org or call 972-2 5379160.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hamodia.