Privacy Campaign for Medical Practitioners

1.    The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (“the Commissioner”) Mr. Roderick B. Woo and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (“HA”) Mr. Shane Solomon to-day (7 May) officiated at the inaugural ceremony of a privacy awareness campaign.  The “Care for patients – Protect their personal data” campaign (“the Campaign”) is jointly organized with the HA specially designed for medical practitioners.

2.    “Patients’ right to privacy is absolutely essential in the health-care context.  From the privacy protection perspective, data protection practices should be designed and adhered to so as to ensure that patients’ privacy and diginty are protected.” Mr. Woo said.

3.    The ultimate goal of this campaign is to raise HA staff members’ awareness of privacy risks in their everyday work and to help them adopt precautionary measures to protect patients’ data.

4.    The Campaign will last for about 12 months.  To meet the diversified training needs, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (“PCPD”) will provide an array of educational activities including seminars, “Privacy Desk”, display panels, games, quizzes and online self-training module for all staff under the HA management.

5.    The Campaign including all promotional materials, online self-training module and display panels will cost about $200,000.  The PCPD and the HA have each agreed to bear half the expenses.

6.    “I am glad to take a first and significant joint initiative with the HA in mounting this Campaign to enhance the protection of patients’ data.  I am confident that our joint effort can create and strengthen a culture in which access to patients’ medical data in the right place at the right time by the right people while privacy and security are safe-guarded for the benefit of the patients.” Mr. Woo said.


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