Data privacy a concern for many
Public worried about how health info is going to be managed
The management of health information is a big worry.
PETALING JAYA: Public and consumer groups are demanding for greater transparency in the management of confidential health data with the introduction of the Malaysian Health Data Warehouse (MyHDW).
While some commend the move to set up such a data warehouse, they also want an assurance that their personal information is in safe hands and will not be compromised by unscrupulous parties.
Muslim Consumers Association of Malaysia chairman Datuk Nadzim Johan said there has to be a mechanism to ensure that the privacy of the information is always intact.
“At the moment now, whatever it is, it is not giving us the assurance that our information is safe.
“We have failed in upholding privacy of most of our consumers and we have seen many of our information being shared by unknown people. We know something is not right.
“We don’t want another bout where we face exposure of our data and privacy,” he said, adding that consumers want to be assured that there will be no leakage.
Nadzim said there is a need for the Health Ministry to explain how the medical information of patients will be kept private.
“We have heard promises everywhere, from banks, under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia), yet we have received calls from people we do not know.
“When it comes to medical information, it is even more critical. Consumers must be given that assurance on how their data will be kept private,” he said.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam announced that MyHDW, a central database containing health-related information from both public and private hospitals in Malaysia, had gone live.
He said it would allow those in healthcare services to make better and more “educated” decisions, and cut wastage.
Dr Subramaniam has assured the public that patients’ privacy will be of “utmost priority”, adding that sensitive information like personal details will not be accessible.
Malaysia is the seventh country in the world to have such a system.
Bar Council Human Rights Committee co-chairman Andrew Khoo said questions like who owns the data warehouse and who will have access to the database need to be answered.
“If cases are entered into the database without the name of the patient, then there is some protection for that person’s identity or privacy.
“The main aim should be in resource allocation and channelling it according to needs. But will private hospitals agree to share their facilities, and who would pay for that?
“There are not just questions of privacy but also access to the best available healthcare, which is a human right,” he added.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations senior vicepresident Datuk K. Koris Atan said the database is a good move.
He said it is vital to have such a database as it can help contain diseases, especially contagious ones.
Lecturer Helena Wong, 40, said MyHDW is a good idea but needs to be implemented well.
“We need to get the statistics right about certain diseases. The cancer registry, for example, takes too long to be updated, which makes it tough for the ministry and other NGOs to combat the disease,” said Wong.
Pharmacist L. Parvathi, 30, said details on patient data privacy safeguards need to be explained.
She said other countries with such a database have good practices such as Taiwan, which makes a random sampling of data from one million patients available for researchers to analyse.
General manager Titus Fernandez, 49, praised the initiative but said security was a concern.
“The information in the database could also be abused, so security must be tight,” he said.
Bank branch manager Mohd Putra Hashim said integrity was of the essence in protecting patients’ data.
“You can have the best security systems put in place but the information can still leak out,” he said, adding that officials handing the database must be people with integrity.
Factory director Jimmy Teo, 63, said more information should be provided to the people on the security system used to protect the data.
“I actually don’t think it’s a good idea because my privacy will be affected.
“The Government needs to explain the security measures taken, and not force us but give us the option to decide if we want to provide our information to the database or not,” he said.