The Star newspaper has denied being in possession of the medical records of Schabir Shaik, according to a report on iol.co.za.
This, after Health Professions Council of South Africa expressed alarm on Wednesday at what it termed the media's "violation" of patient confidentiality.
"We would like to stress that we are not in possession of Mr Shaik's medical records as implied by the HPCSA statement," The Star's editor Moegsien Williams said in a statement.
"The details of Mr Shaik's medical condition (have) been in the public domain for some time, including information released by members of Mr Shaik's family in several media interviews over the years," he said.
The HPCSA said earlier on Wednesday that it had noted with "horror and dismay" media articles indicating that the press had confidential medical reports violating patient confidentiality
This was not only unprofessional, but ran contrary to the country's constitution and undermined the investigative process embarked upon by the HPCSA, its registrar Boyce Mkhize said in a statement.
"The (HPCSA) statement was issued on the day that The Star carried the results of its two-week investigation into Mr Schabir Shaik's medical parole," said Williams.
"The Star's news report stated clearly it was in possession of the Durban-Westville parole board's report on its decision to release Schabir Shaik," he said.
In the article, headlined 'These are the doctors who freed Shaik,' the Star referred to the reports of several doctors who treated the convicted fraudster.
Click here to read the full report, posted on iol.co.za.