Boag says ministry sent her patient details

AUCKLAND: National Party stalwart Michelle Boag has said the Ministry of Health regularly sent her personal email address details regarding Covid19 patients.

She believed all emergency services, including police, would have received the same.

Ms Boag stood down from her roles at Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (ARHT) and National Party deputy leader Nikki Kaye’s campaign for the upcoming election, after admitting sending details of Covid19 patients to MP Hamish Walker, who then leaked them to media.

‘‘I’ve said I am not going to discuss my motivations because that is for the inquiry, but it is a statement of fact that at the beginning they started sending out this data by spreadsheet,’’ Ms Boag said.

‘‘You might ask why do these organisations need that, and that’s because people like ambulance, people like ourselves, were going out to people in the community and we needed to know where there were Covid19 patients in the community.’’

For example there was an outbreak in Matamata, any emergency services then in the community would be understandably cautious, she said.

‘‘It was for that reason that the emergency services were told.’’

The spreadsheet information was not passwordprotected, while in comparison patient information held at a DHB was, she said.

‘‘Initially, it was like here’s 20 people, then it was here’s 40 people and then it was here’s a hundred people and then it was here’s several hundred people. . .’’

‘‘I have no idea why they choose my personal email address, I mean I was an acting CEO so I often sent emails from that address.’’

Ms Boag reiterated the privacy of patient data held by ARHT had not been breached.

Ms Boag on Tuesday night said she had made a ‘‘massive error of judgement on my part’’ sending the details to Mr Walker, and apologised for doing so.

‘‘The information was made available to me in my position as then acting CEO of the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (ARHT), although it was sent to my private email address.

‘‘This was a massive error of judgement on my part and I apologise to my colleagues at ARHT whom I have let down badly.

‘‘I very much regret my actions and did not anticipate that Hamish would choose to send it on to some media outlets but I am grateful that the media involved have chosen not to publish the 18 names that were contained within it.’’