Patient confidentiality ‘at risk’ under Dubai healthcare scheme

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Dentists are worried that patient information could be compromised.

Dubai dentists have condemned new rules on submitting patient data to the Department of Health and Medical Services (DoHMS).

Under a new system, introduced in June, clinics have been told they must submit full details of any treatment received by patients, as well as the patient's name and one form of official identification, such as a passport or labour card number.

Dentists who fail to provide the information risk losing their license, MED has learnt.

Leading dental professionals said the new rule impinged on dentist-patient confidentiality and could lead to a minefield of data protection and privacy issues. "There is a huge confidentiality issue that I am not comfortable with," said one dentist, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions.

"Is this information going to be available to other government departments, or is it just a broad public health overview? In which case, why do they need personal information?

"Being a health professional and having to submit this information, to my mind, breaks the Hippocratic oath."

The DoHMS press office refused to comment on concerns about the new system. However, information communicated to other areas of the healthcare sector suggested patient data will be encoded and anonymised by the government office. Each patient will be given a unique ID number based on the information submitted.

The information gathered is intended to improve statistical analysis of the healthcare requirements in the emirate.

These statistics will eventually help to form future healthcare policy and shape the new mandatory insurance scheme being introduced by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

Dentists, however, believe the system is flawed and that it will still be possible to link patients with sensitive information.

"The worry is that, with very little effort, patients can be linked with their records and that the information could be used in the wrong way," said one. "For instance clinical information on the name and address of someone who has developed hepatitis C [a deportable disease] for example, could be easily obtained from the electronic data we submit."

While these are the most pressing concerns for the dentists MED spoke to, others centered on the logistics of supplying the data. Another dentist, who also asked not to be named, said that his busy Jumierah-based clinic would have to employ more staff to cope with the increased workload caused by the new system.

He added that there was also the pressure of approaching the patient for personal information which up until now has never been required.

"Because we cannot tell patients exactly what will be done with it, the relationship of trust we work so hard to build could be affected."

RELATED LINKS: The power of information

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