TORONTO - The Toronto hospital treating Rob Ford for cancer says two of its staffers "inappropriately" viewed the mayor's health record.
A Mount Sinai Hospital spokeswoman said in a short statement Thursday the two weren't part of Ford's medical team and that an investigation was immediately launched.
Sally Szuster says that "appropriate action" against the employees has been taken, but refused in a brief interview to say just what has been done, citing "privacy reasons."
She says Ford was told about the privacy breach and that the hospital is sorry.
Ford underwent an initial round of chemotherapy last month after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, and returned for another round last week.
The hospital's statement says it learned about the disclosure "through a robust system of safeguards and auditing procedures designed to ensure compliance to our security and privacy policies."
"We sincerely regret that these privacy breaches occurred. Privacy for all of our patients is paramount and we will continue to be diligent in upholding our privacy policies and practices," the statement said.
The cancer diagnosis prompted the mayor to end his re-election bid, and he is now running for a council seat instead. His brother, Doug, is running for mayor in his place.
A weary-looking Rob Ford cast his ballot in advance polling for the municipal election Tuesday, and said he was to return to the hospital on Oct. 29 — two days after the municipal vote.
His office later said the mayor would be meeting with his doctors to review his condition and determine the next step of treatment.
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