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BEIJING, August 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Politicians in Britain are proposing to allow public medical records to be stored online by companies Google and Microsoft, but some campaigners say it could put personal information at risk. The opposition Conservative party say the internet service would give patients greater freedom over their health data, allowing them to check and even edit their NHS record online. But critics backed by the British Medical Association (BMA), say the information could be vulnerable to hackers and the plan would make it more difficult for doctors to access information in an emergency. Even amongst the party's own ranks there has been some opposition with former shadow home secretary David Davis saying Google was 'the last company' he would trust with such sensitive data. There are also suggestions that Conservative leader David Cameron is too close to the company since his adviser Steve Hilton is married to Rachel Whetstone, Google's vice president of global communications and public affairs. The plan would allow primary care trusts to decide which of the rival systems to use and Google will not be the only option, the Conservative party says. Meanwhile Google has pledged not to use the data for its own gain such as to advertise drugs. The voluntary plans would also be more secure than the current centralized scheme which may be accessed by thousands of National Health Service (NHS) workers, the Conservative party claims. Their plan would only allow patients and local primary care physicians to see information online. Records would be accessed securely via personal computers in the same way as bank accounts with patients able to add details of symptoms and side effects and update their records with blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The current Government's Connecting for Health system is four years behind schedule and will not be operating until 2012. It has so far cost in excess of 12.4 billion pounds (20.4 billion U.S. dollars). Conservative party health spokesman Stephen O'Brien said, "Giving patients greater control over their health records is crucial if we are to make the NHS more patient-centred. Labour's attitude to our personal data is misguided. They seem to think they own it and have been appallingly careless in looking after it." But the BMA says it is concerned the system could put patients at risk. Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of science and ethics, said, "The security of web-based medical systems is of great concern, as are the implications of data being held by the private sector. We are concerned by the suggestion that healthcare staff could be restricted from accessing important clinical information." Google already runs a service called Google Health in the United States where patients may access their medical records. Under the banner "Take charge of your health information", Google says it provides a safe, secure and free online account where an individual may "organize health information from doctors, hospitals and pharmacies in one place." The facility also enables some or all the data to be shared securely with another family member, doctor or caregiver. Launched in 2008 Google Health is an opt-in service, meaning it can only access medical information volunteered by individuals. It does not retrieve any part of a person's medical records without his or her explicit consent and action. According to its Terms of Service, Google Health is not considered a "covered entity" under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. As such HIPAA privacy laws do not apply to it. But it appears the public are not shunning the service of placing medical data in the computer cloud. The Cleveland Clinic, which partnered with the service, found that its patients were eager to use the Google health records. And in an article covering Google Health's launch, the New York Times discussed privacy issues and said that "patients apparently did not shun the Google health records because of qualms that their personal health information might not be secure if held by a large technology company." Dozens of medical organizations in the U.S. have since partnered with the online health data base including the American Heart Association, Quest Diagnostics and CVS Caremark, a provider of prescriptions. (Agencies) |
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