Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

This Privacy Policy applies to the website karachipilesclinic.com and all associated services operated by Karachi Piles Clinic, a specialist anorectal medical clinic located at Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Karachi Memon Society, Karachi, Pakistan.

The clinic is founded and led by Dr. Abdullah Iqbal (MBBS, FCPS), a qualified general surgeon specialising in laser proctology. For data-related questions, contact us at [email protected].

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

When you interact with our website or contact us, we may collect:

• Contact details: Your full name, phone number, and email address when you submit our contact form or WhatsApp us.
• Medical enquiry information: A description of your symptoms or condition that you choose to share in a message or contact form. This is provided entirely at your discretion.
• Appointment requests: Date, time preference, and reason for visit when booking a consultation.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit karachipilesclinic.com, certain information is collected automatically:

• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and browser/device type — collected via Google Analytics through Google Site Kit.
• IP address: Your IP address is logged by our hosting provider (Hostinger) and may be retained in server access logs.
• Cookies: See Section 5 for details on cookies we use.

2.3 Information We Do Not Collect

• We do not collect payment or credit card information through this website.
• We do not require account creation or collect passwords.
• We do not collect sensitive personal information (national identity numbers, financial records) through this website.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries: To reply to your questions, appointment requests, and messages submitted through the contact form, WhatsApp, or phone.
• Appointment management: To confirm, reschedule, or follow up on clinic appointments.
• Patient communication: To provide pre- and post-consultation information relevant to your condition and treatment.
• Website improvement: Anonymised analytics data helps us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve content and user experience.
• Legal compliance: To comply with applicable Pakistani laws and medical practice regulations, including PMDC requirements for record-keeping.

We do not use your information for unsolicited marketing, advertising to third parties, or any purpose not directly related to your medical enquiry or our website operations.

4. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party.

We may share limited information in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: Our website is hosted by Hostinger. Contact forms are processed by SureForms. Analytics are provided by Google Analytics via Google Site Kit. These providers access data only as necessary to provide their services and are subject to their own privacy policies.
• WhatsApp: If you contact us via WhatsApp, your message is processed by WhatsApp (Meta). We recommend reviewing WhatsApp’s privacy policy for details on how they handle messages.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or legitimate government authority under Pakistani law.
• Medical referral: With your explicit consent, we may share relevant clinical information with other healthcare providers involved in your care.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device. These include:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly (WordPress session cookies, security tokens).
• Analytics cookies: Google Analytics cookies track anonymised website usage (pages visited, session duration). These do not identify you personally.
• Contact form cookies: SureForms may set cookies to prevent duplicate form submissions.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality. We do not use advertising or profiling cookies.

6. Data Retention

• Contact form submissions are retained for 12 months, after which they are deleted from our systems.
• Medical records created during a clinical consultation are retained for a minimum of 5 years in accordance with Pakistani medical practice standards and PMDC guidelines.
• Analytics data is retained for 26 months as configured in Google Analytics, after which it is automatically deleted.
• Server access logs are retained for 30 days by our hosting provider.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion: You may request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal and medical record-keeping obligations.
• Withdrawal of consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
• Objection: You may object to processing for purposes other than your direct medical care.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected] or call 0333-2877351. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children’s Privacy

Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent. Minors requiring medical consultation should be accompanied by a parent or guardian who may submit information on their behalf.

9. Medical Information & Confidentiality

Karachi Piles Clinic treats all medical information with the highest degree of confidentiality, consistent with the ethical obligations of medical practice under Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) standards.

Any clinical information you share through this website, by phone, WhatsApp, or in person is treated as confidential medical information. It will not be disclosed to any third party without your explicit consent, except where required by law or for the direct purpose of your medical treatment.

Our contact form submissions are encrypted in transit (HTTPS). We recommend patients avoid sending highly sensitive medical details through online forms and instead discuss them in person at the clinic or by direct phone call.

10. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information:

• All data transmitted to and from this website is encrypted via HTTPS/TLS (SSL certificate active).
• Our website is hosted on secure Hostinger infrastructure with access controls.
• WordPress is kept up to date with security patches applied promptly.
• Cloudflare CDN and security layer is active, providing additional protection against attacks.

No system is 100% secure. In the unlikely event of a data breach that affects your rights and freedoms, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites including Google Maps, WhatsApp, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok. These are governed by their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites and encourage you to review their policies before providing any personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 0333-2877351
• Address: Karachi Piles Clinic, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Karachi Memon Society, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
• Clinic Hours: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Read our Medical Disclaimer  |  Contact Us