GDPR: Security and protection for the health sector
Data protection regulations define how organizations, companies and government sectors can use and process a person’s personal data. These regulations must also ensure that healthcare data is not susceptible to attack, misuse or misappropriation.
In the case of healthcare providers, they are processing special categories of patient personal information where the structure of care delivery, there are a number of challenges that need to be managed by the healthcare sector as they collect and process the most important information as, various links in the chain of patient data.
Data relating to health will be subject to a higher level of protection than personal data in general.
-Health related data
-Genetic data
-Biometric information
Processing of these three forms of health data is prohibited unless one of several conditions applies.
Under the new GDPR rules and regulations, they only allow data processing in the healthcare sector under this special category when it applies to some of the following circumstances:
-When the treatment is necessary to protect the vital interests of the interested party or of another natural person in the event that the interested party cannot give their consent.
– When the treatment is necessary for the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, evaluation of the worker’s work capacity, medical diagnosis, provision of health or social care or treatment, or management of health and social health systems and services under a contract with a healthcare professional.
-When the treatment is necessary for reasons of public interest in the field of public health.
Under the GDPR, there is a rule to supplement a data protection officer (DPO) in some circumstances. In the health sector, it will mainly be where, as a core activity, health data of the three types mentioned above are processed on a large scale. The GDPR also allows EU member states to require the appointment of DPOs in circumstances other than those set out in the GDPR.
With the GDPR, the level of information that all users must receive from those responsible for the processing of their data increases. In this sense, the information provided must contain at least the following data:
-The contact details of the Data Protection Officer when designated.
-The legal basis or legitimation for the treatment.
-The term or criteria for the conservation of the information.
-The existence of automated decisions or profiling.
-The planned transfers to third countries.
-The right to file a claim with the Control Authority.
Organizations must be prepared to ensure their compliance with the new GDPR regulations by taking steps to understand their current position and prevent their organization from suffering serious penalties.
