Any user of a health information system (‘Health myki faces axe’, 24/1), like anyone using any other tool, requires it to be accurate, precise and timely. In the case of health, however, the public will demand rigorous protection of privacy before technological expertise is let loose. Privacy is the great, over-arching paradigm that holds together our systems of health care. It holds across the entire spectrum of society’s needs, and none is more or less important than the others.
As much as innovation drives advances in care across that spectrum, and private enterprise holds the keys, it is essential that governments act to negotiate the inevitable conflicts. New, national legislation is needed to ensure the same standards of privacy protection apply across the whole of society. Private providers need that assurance, but they cannot have it until the Gillard government gets on its skates and enacts a new set of laws, the Australian Privacy Principles.
While there are two sets of privacy laws, one each for public and private spheres, no-one should expect any worthwhile advance in health information technology.
We ought, also, look at the Productivity Commission’s recommendations for aged care. The key driver for better in-home care will be competition between providers. Again, those essential improvements will not be possible without unification of the nation’s privacy rules.
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