Hospital employee suspended for leaking influencer's newborn details on Facebook

A hospital staff member was suspended after disclosing private details concerning Dutch influencer Selma Omari, NOS reported on Thursday. The employee from the Franciscus Gasthuis and Vlietland Hospital in Rotterdam shared in a Facebook group that Omari had given birth days before Omari herself revealed it on Instagram.

In "Fadim's Beautyspace," a closed Facebook group of over 70,000 members, a post on August 1 claimed Omari welcomed a baby girl the night before. The post divulged details like the baby's gender, name, and birth time. While the Facebook user's identity could not be connected to the hospital's staff, another who confirmed the information could be linked.

This person is believed to be an administrative staff member of the hospital. “Unfortunately, we have determined that there has been a data breach through social media reporting in a private Facebook group. An employee of Franciscus confirmed the presence of a patient in this group. We deeply regret this and take it very seriously,” the hospital wrote in a statement on Thurdsday.

On Wednesday, the employee was suspended, and their access to patient records was terminated. The institution also reported the matter to the Personal Data Authority, which has acknowledged the report and will look into it.

Selma Omari, known for her music and her appearance on the RTL4 show “De Verraders,” has over 500,000 followers on Instagram. She mainly posts about beauty, lifestyle, and fashion. She kept her pregnancy private and officially announced the birth on August 4, three days after details were leaked in a Facebook group.

The hospital said it notified Omari of the data breach.