Police published a “wanted” poster for a criminal fugitive in a medical journal, because the fugitive was known to have a certain acute noninfectious skin problem that would eventually require a visit to a doctor. The poster asked for information about the whereabouts of the fugitive. A physician’s responding to the poster’s request for information would not violate medical ethics, since physicians are already subject to requirements to report gunshot wounds to police and certain infectious diseases to health authorities. These exceptions to confidentiality are clearly ethical.
Which one of the following principles, while remaining compatible with the requirements cited above, supports the view that a physician’s responding to the request would violate medical ethics?
(A) Since a physician acts both as a professional person and as a citizen, it is not ethical for a physician to conceal information about patients from duly constituted law enforcement agencies that have proper jurisdiction.
(B) Since a patient comes to a physician with the expectation that the patient’s visit and medical condition will remain confidential, it is not ethical for a physician to share this information with anyone except personnel within the physician’s office.
(C) Since the primary concern of medicine is individual and public health, it is not ethical for a physician, except in the case of gunshot wounds, to reduce patients’ willingness to come for treatment by a policy of disclosing their identities to law-enforcement agencies.
(D) Except as required by the medical treatment of the patient, physicians cannot ethically disclose to others information about a patient’s identity or medical condition without the patient’s consent.
(E) Except to other medical personnel working to preserve or restore the health of a patient or of other persons, physicians cannot ethically disclose information about the identity of patients or their medical condition.
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A

Is the OA (C)?

only answer making sense to me is D. it would become unethical for the doctor to report without taking patient's consent. in this case he will have to report without consent (of the fugitive) and that would constitute unethical behavior on the doctor's part. If we had not included (without consent from patient) then the rules of ethics remain to the same....the doctor must not disclose except in case of gunshot wounds and infectious diseases. Adding taking the patient's consent adds a new twist to the argument and brings the question of ethics back to the fore again.

The answer should be C.
While all the other answers conflict with the argument's requirements, answer C does not discuss reporting to health authorities (no conflict), but only to law enforcement agencies, and states that doctors shouldn't report to them except for gunshot wounds (no conflict again)...

noboru kindly publish oa

(C) Since the primary concern of medicine is individual and public health, it is not ethical for a physician, except in the case of gunshot wounds, to reduce patients’ willingness to come for treatment by a policy of disclosing their identities to law-enforcement agencies. This takes care off all options. Suggests that only in case of a gunshot ( which is not covered in individual and public health) or Individual( reffering to other doctors for treatment ) or public health ( such as swine flu), information can be shared with others. Thus this supports the view that disclosing the convicts information by doctor in this case would be unlawful. Correct
(D) Except as required by the medical treatment of the patient, physicians cannot ethically disclose to others information about a patient’s identity or medical condition without the patient’s consent. - This choice misses Gun shot exception so is half true. Wrong

So IMO C . QA plz
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