A group representing general practitioners has called on the Federal Government to ensure patient confidentiality is maintained when privacy laws are reformed this year.
The Government has proposed streamlining the Privacy Act into a national set of principles across the public and private sectors.
The move coincides with a widespread increase in the use of electronic patient data by doctors, specialists and hospitals.
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal from the GP Data Governance Council says the group wants to make sure data is used in a trustworthy and ethical way.
“Health privacy is not the purview of the privacy lobby. This is something that’s important – vital to each of us as Australians and to each of my colleagues in health care,” he said.
Read more on ABC (AU)