The Prince Edward Island Health Authority has warned the public that the theft of one of its laptops constitutes an invasion of the privacy of 4,000 patients and 1,200 staff.
The computer, which was stolen in early April, contained personal information of patients and employees at the time, Health PEI said. in a statement released Wednesday.
The computer is protected by a password used by Health PEI technicians. reset as soon as possible, the latter guarantees. According to him, there is a low probability that a person will access personal information. He also does not believe there is a risk of identity theft.
The information in question is usually related to medical visits to emergency departments in the province from September 1 to October 13, 2021. This includes the reason for these visits, the diagnosis, the name of the doctor, as well as the name, date of birth, health card number, gender and postal code of the patients.
The computer also contains other information on a small number of patients – less than 30 – who are in the hospital waiting somewhere in a long -term care facility. In their case, it is, in addition to their name and health card number, information on their admission and the duration of their hospitalization.
The 1,200 affected employees work in long -term care. The files contain their name, position, hours of work and salary, but no banking or financial information, Health PEI said.
The Health Authority apologizes
All those affected have already been notified, according to Health PEI.
Dr. Michael Gardam, CEO of Health PEI. quoted in the press release, apologizing to patients and employees. On behalf of Health PEI, I apologize for what happened.
He added that a comprehensive analysis of the situation is conducted to locate and correct any potential gaps in the organization’s procedures for the security of personal information.
Source: Radio-Canada
