Australians should be able to easily cancel their My Health Record at any time in the future, says Director of the ADF and NSW rural GP, A/Prof. Dr Aniello Iannuzzi.
The decision to have an opt-out personal health record created for all Australians without their individual consents was always unwise and unfair. It’s about big government saying, ‘we know what’s right for you’.
Health programs work best with consent and cooperation not coercion and conscription.
Very few Australians will have read the My Health Records Act of 2012 Compilation No. 7 (26th September 2017) Clause 70, Disclosure for law enforcement purposes pg. 59.
There is no doubt from the above legislation that Government access to My Health Record is intended for a number of stated purposes including law enforcement, public revenue and legal proceedings. This has never been publicised. Such capacity for secondary sharing of data is the crux of what is undermining public and professional confidence in My Health Record. Unless such secondary data sharing is eliminated from the legislation, My Health Record will never achieve its aim or full potential.
We are also concerned that patients who want to delete their record after it has been established must delete every individual item and are advised that the items they deleted will still be kept on file.
The Australian Doctors’ Federation does not agree with statements published in 2009 by former UK public servant and now CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency, Mr Tim Kelsey, who wrote,
“But no one who uses a public service should be allowed to opt out of sharing their records. Nor can people rely on their record being anonymised – at the moment sexual health services can be anonymous, and as a result there are almost no measures of performance in that sector.” [Long live the Data Base State, 29/07/2009, Prospect Magazine, published August 2009]
Director ADF, A/Prof. Dr. Aniello Iannuzzi
CEO ADF, Mr Stephen Milgate
Original Document: My Health Record opt Out Period Must be Extended Indefinitely
