Patient Care
Medical Records & Patient Requests
Which records you can obtain, who is authorised to request them, what identification is required, how long it takes and how the copies are issued.
Your record belongs to your care
The hospital holds the physical case file, but the information in it is about you and you are entitled to a copy of it. Records are most often requested for an insurance claim, for a second opinion elsewhere, for continuing treatment in another city, for an employer or for a legal requirement.
The controls that surround a records request are not obstruction. Medical information is confidential, and releasing it to the wrong person is a serious breach. The identification and authorisation requirements below exist so that your record is given to you and to nobody else.
Requests are made through the medical records department. Use the form at the bottom of this page to start the process, or apply in person at the records counter.
What can be requested
- Discharge summary for an admission, and duplicate copies of a summary already issued
- Laboratory and pathology reports, including histopathology and microbiology
- Radiology and imaging reports, and imaging studies on a disc or in digital form
- Operation notes and anaesthesia records
- Case sheet or treatment record for an admission, in full or in part
- Outpatient consultation records and prescriptions issued at this hospital
- Bills, payment receipts and itemised bill copies
- Certificates and claim documents required by an insurer or employer, where the hospital is the appropriate issuing authority
- Birth and death records issued by the hospital, subject to the applicable statutory process
Who may request records
- The patient, if an adult and competent to make the request
- A parent or legal guardian, where the patient is a minor
- The legal guardian, where the patient is not competent to make the request
- A close relative or representative holding a written authorisation signed by the patient, with the patient's identity proof attached
- The legal heir or next of kin of a deceased patient, on proof of relationship and identity
- An insurer or third-party administrator, where the patient has authorised the release as part of the claim
- A court, police or statutory authority, where the law requires disclosure — such disclosures are recorded
How to make a request
- Submit the request
Complete the request form below or apply at the medical records counter. State the patient's full name, the hospital identification number, the approximate dates of admission or visit, and exactly which documents you need.
- Prove identity and authorisation
Carry the patient's photo identity and your own. If you are applying on someone else's behalf, bring the signed authorisation along with the patient's identity proof, or the guardianship or heirship documents as applicable.
- Verification and retrieval
The records department verifies the request and retrieves the file. Older records held in archive take longer to retrieve than recent ones.
- Charges and acknowledgement
Reproduction charges, where applicable, are collected at the counter against a receipt, and you are given an acknowledgement with a reference. Keep it — every follow-up is faster with it.
- Collection
Copies are handed over to the authorised person on production of identity, or issued digitally to the registered contact where that option applies to the document requested.
Practical points that save a second trip
- Give the hospital identification number if you have it; searching by name alone across years of records is slow and error-prone
- Ask for exactly what you need — an insurer usually wants the discharge summary, investigation reports and the itemised bill rather than the whole case sheet
- Reports and summaries can generally be reissued more quickly than a full case sheet, which requires file retrieval and review
- Imaging studies are issued on a disc or digitally; films, where available, are ordinarily issued once and should be kept safely
- A reproduction charge may apply depending on the document and the number of pages — confirm the current charge at the records counter before submitting
- Timelines depend on the age of the record and the type of document; ask for the expected date when you submit and note it on the acknowledgement
- For a request connected to a legal matter or an insurance dispute, say so at the outset, as those requests follow a specific route
Laboratory and radiology reports are issued digitally and can usually be reissued to the mobile number or email registered at the time of the visit — which is one reason to give a contact that is actually reachable at registration. Case sheets, operation notes and certified copies are issued physically at the records counter to the authorised person. If your contact number has changed since the visit, update it at the counter with identity proof before asking for a digital reissue.
Request your records
Send the details below and the medical records department will contact you to confirm identity, authorisation and the collection arrangement. You may also apply in person at the records counter.
Not sure which department you need?
Share your symptoms and the appointment desk will route you to the right consultant. For anything sudden or severe, do not wait for a callback — come to the emergency department.