INQ Consulting and INQ Law have been appointed to assist the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to complete the second statutory review of the Personal Health Information Act. The Act establishes rules that custodians of personal health information must follow when collecting, using and disclosing individuals’ confidential personal health information.
The Act, proclaimed in 2011, is required to undergo a review once every five years. This process will result in recommendations to modernize the legislation. The review will include:
- An environmental scan looking at opportunities for improvement and legislation from other jurisdictions;
- Interviews with stakeholders across Newfoundland and Labrador and other provinces and territories; and
- An opportunity for public input.
INQ Consulting and INQ Law were chosen based on their particular focus on data privacy protection. A statutory review committee has been established with representatives from INQ Consulting, INQ Law and officials from the Department of Health and Community Services.
Given the vital oversight role of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner with the Act, the Information and Privacy Commissioner will be engaged throughout the review.
Beginning in February, the public will be invited to participate in an online questionnaire through engageNL. More information will follow when this questionnaire is open. Furthermore, those interested in providing a written submission as part of the review may do so by emailing phiareview@gov.nl.ca before March 1, 2023.
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“We are pleased that the review of the Personal Health Information Act is underway. The legislative review offers oversight to ensure that patient privacy is paramount when dealing with personal health Information, while also maintaining patients’ access to their own health information. Patient information is highly sensitive, yet must be shared across a range of health care providers, making this legislation vital to our health care system. We look forward to receiving the report from the committee.”
Honourable Tom Osborne
Minister of Health and Community Services
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