A charge has been laid against a former Manitoba Health employee for accessing personal health information inappropriately.
The office of the Manitoba Ombudsman said it conducted an investigation after a report of a privacy breach at Manitoba Health’s Provincial Drug Program.
The Ombudsman said a former employee who had access to personal health information through their job allegedly viewed information for non-work related reasons.
The Ombudsman laid a changed against the person under the Personal Health Information Act for deliberately accessing someone’s personal health information inappropriately.
“The personal health information of Manitobans is entrusted to employees and service providers in the health-care sector across the province. We believe most health-care providers respect this trust by using personal health information for authorized purposes,” said Manitoba Ombudsman Charlene Paquin.
“Abusing that trust by intentionally violating the privacy of Manitobans is an egregious matter that has serious consequences.”
The maximum penalty for an offence under PHIA is $50,000. The matter is currently before the court.
