The National Assembly has passed a bill that requires installing surveillance cameras in operating rooms.

The assembly on Tuesday passed 21 bills, including one that contains amendments to the Medical Services Act. The passage came on the last day of parliament's August extra session. 

The revisions require operating rooms to have closed-circuit television(CCTV), though not connected to an external network, with a two-year grace period after the bill's proclamation.

Recording is mandatory when requested by a patient, and the footage can be accessed by a public agency for an investigation or trial when consent is given by both the patient and medical personnel.

However, there is a clause that allows doctors to deny recording on justifiable grounds, such as an emergency surgery when a patient’s life is in danger.

Organizations representing patients called for the revision, saying it is necessary to prevent illegal activities, including doctors delegating surgeries to unlicensed personnel. 

The medical sector, on the other hand, had opposed it, saying it could create distrust between doctors and patients.