This interview happened last week.
Privacy concerns about My Health Record system
By Eliza Borrello on AM
You might not be aware, but from next year the Federal Government will have created an electronic file, holding the medical records of every Australian.
Proponents say it will give emergency department doctors anywhere in Australia access to information that could save your life.
But critics warn it could also see sensitive information - such as whether you've had an abortion - fall into the wrong hands.
They're also concerned that patients will have to actively opt out if they don't want a so-called "My Health Record".
Duration: 2min 55sec
Broadcast: Sat 14 Oct 2017, 8:17am
More Information
Featured:
David Vaile, chairman, Australian Privacy Foundation
David Herd, external affairs director, GSK
David Vaile, chairman, Australian Privacy Foundation
David Herd, external affairs director, GSK
Transcript
· ELIZABETH JACKSON: From next year the Federal Government will have created an electronic file, holding the medical records of every single Australian.
Proponents say it will give emergency department doctors anywhere in Australia access to information that could save your life.
But critics warn it could also see sensitive information like, perhaps, your mental health history or whether or not you've had an abortion, fall into the wrong hands.
Eliza Borrello reports.
ELIZA BORRELLO: If you have a Medicare number, by next year you'll have a My Health Record. And the chairman of the Australian Privacy Foundation, David Vaile, is worried the Government won't be able to keep it safe.
DAVID VAILE: IT security is more or less over. No-one can credibly say anywhere in the world, "Trust us. We can keep your data safe."
We saw it just recently, where they've had a sort of medium-level hack of defence security information.
ELIZA BORRELLO: He says My Health Records will include some of the most personal information anyone could want to know about you.
DAVID VAILE: Whether it's an abortion or had an alcohol problem or mental illness. And strangely enough, a lot of politicians are prone in their high-stress jobs to these sort of things, so you'd think they'd be sensitive to this.
But even now, with somewhat more sort of tolerant and flexible social attitudes, those things can still be used for blackmail.
ELIZA BORRELLO: David Vaile says he's extremely concerned patients will have to actively opt out if they don't want a My Health Record.
DAVID VAILE: You use opt out when you're trying to bully people into it; when you're trying to sort of push people unknowingly, who do nothing and don't take any notice: they all end up with this record.
You have to ask people for their permission. You have to tell them about the dangers.
ELIZA BORRELLO: David Herd is the external affairs director at GSK (GlaxoSmithKline), a drug company which makes medicines and vaccines and is a strong advocate of My Health Record:
DAVID HERD: We are, as a company, excited by the opportunity that a physician, at any point in time of utilising any of those medicines or any of the vaccines, has the latest piece of information on that patient.
ELIZA BORRELLO: But soon it might not just be doctors who can access My Health Record data. The Government wants to be able to share de-identified information with researchers.
David Herd says it could be used to recruit patients for clinical trials.
DAVID HERD: Channelling those patients that really need a new intervention or a new treatment or access to the latest innovation that is being trialled.
ELIZA BORRELLO: In a statement, a spokesman for the Government's Digital Health Agency said patients will be able to remove any test result from their My Health Record or restrict access to specific information.
ELIZABETH JACKSON: Eliza Borrello with that report.
And a spokesman for the Health Minister, Greg Hunt, told Saturday AM that the My Health Record system has strong security, which ensures information is only stored and accessed by trusted connected health systems.
Credits
- Author Eliza Borrello
Here is the link:
Just what is going on here? David Herd thinks it is open slather on the data held in the myHR and do whatever seems to be in their (GSK’s) interest. Where is the discussion of the protections they will provide and consent etc.
As the poll reported on the blog earlier today the vast majority feels explicit consent is needed for use of this data – especially for commercial use – even I would suggest there may be the odd occasion when use of the data is beneficial for the patient.
See here:
Surely if the patient is eligible to join a trial it is the role of their specialist to be aware of the opportunity – not a drug company.
As for any assurance as to the security of information held in the myHR surely such a data-base is just an accident waiting to happen as we have seen with the likes of defence contractors, Equifax and the like.
Trust the Government to hold and protect your personally sensitive data at your peril!
David.
With it being run by the man who sold the brits to the big end of town does the government really have that much contempt for the general public? This is a farce the sooner the broader community commentators are briefed on this the better.
ReplyDeletefrom care.data to cash.data its just a hop and a skip to crash.data
ReplyDeleteI see a future where I increase spam email thanks to myhr.
ReplyDelete7:49 AM. That is a good observation. Once organisations get hold of you details targeted marketing will soon follow praying on people through increased belief they or their loved ones will or are suffering. The Government yet again has not thought this through and I do not think the grasp how invasive technology can be.
ReplyDeleteThe MyHR is populist politics at work pure and simple.
ReplyDelete