A gynecologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, U.S., was found dead at his home Feb 18, shortly after he was dismissed from the hospital on charges of allegedly recording uncounted numbers of videos of his patients through a camera hidden in a pen.
Dr. Nikita Levy had been found wearing a pen every time he examined a patient until a female college became suspicious of the pen earlier in February. The co-worker informed security of his odd behavior.
When police searched his home the next day, multiple hard drives and servers with pictures of patients were found, the hospital authorities said in a statement.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that they were looking into the possibility of those materials being sold online or if Dr. Levy worked with anyone else.
"Words cannot describe how deeply sorry we are for all who this has affected. We are terribly sorry this has happened and for how the patients of Dr. Levy must be feeling," Dr Paul B. Rothman, CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a letter written in response to an inquiry from the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center (MCVRC).
"Today we stand humbled by the events and tragic circumstances that involve the patients and community that we serve. We want to assure our patients that their privacy, safety and well-being are our priority," he added.
So far, two lawsuits have been filed against johns Hopkins hospital, claiming that the hospital failed to protect the patients' privacy by photographing and videotaping those patients.
"Dr. Levy's behavior violated Johns Hopkins code of conduct and privacy policies and was against everything for which Johns Hopkins Medicine stands," Yue-Cheng Yang, chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said in a letter to Levy's patients.
Dr. Levy, 54, had worked for Johns Hopkins since 1988 and he spent his whole career with the hospital.
To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
To contact the editor, e-mail: