Sharing health records across border enhanced

Jamie Liu

A draft law amendment that allows individuals to grant health-care providers outside Hong Kong secure access to their electronic medical records on the eHealth platform will be published by the government tomorrow.

The bill seeks to amend the Electronic Health Record Sharing System Ordinance "to expand and enhance data collection, sharing, usage and protection mechanisms of eHealth," authorities said yesterday.

The amendment proposes streamlining the consent mechanism, meaning that once individuals agree to join eHealth, their health-care providers will be able to deposit data into their accounts.

They will continue to retain full control over their personal data and can grant individual health-care providers access to their eHealth records at their own will.

The draft law will empower the secretary for health to require specified providers to deposit important data into the eHealth accounts of people.

The bill will allow recognized health-care providers or public health systems outside Hong Kong - such as those under the Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme - to access and update a person's eHealth records with explicit consent.

Officials stressed that "under no other circumstances will eHealth records be transmitted across the boundary," while provisions will be added to ensure the protection of data privacy and system security. The change will also expand the scope of local health-care professionals who can access eHealth data to cover those registered with the accredited professional bodies under the Department of Health's accredited registers scheme for health-care professions.

Other specified professionals in health-care facilities controlled or managed by the government and the Hospital Authority will also be included, in addition to the existing 13 types of workers subject to statutory registration.

The bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first reading on March 26.

Lawmaker David Lam Tzit-yuen of the medical and health services sector, supported the law amendment, saying it will ensure doctors have access to a more complete medical history of the patient.

Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, reminded people to be aware of how organizations use the data they obtain. He suggested that health data should only be retained for a certain period and deleted when no longer needed.

jamie.liu@singtaonewscorp.com