It's no surprise to me that privacy breaches are a problem in B.C.
As a former Vancouver Island Health Authority employee, I was concerned a long time ago when we went from an in-hospital, departmental computer system, to MediTech, based in the U.S., spread all across Vancouver Island.
MediTech is an extremely proprietary
program, and if we had a problem and our in-house IT techs couldn't fix it, they'd call MediTech, which would dial into our system and fix the problem. Supposedly, they had limited access, but what was VIHA doing giving Canadian medical records to a private U.S. company in the first place?
MediTech at VIHA has been replaced with a cumbersome, repetitive program called Cerner, and my former co-workers tell me I should thank the computer gods that I retired before that happened. However, MediTech ousted Cerner in the rest of B.C.
By the way, even with limited information access, nearly any hospital employee can figure out what's wrong with the patient from the tests and procedures ordered. Privacy disappeared a long time ago, and we slept through it.
Attaching our medical records to our drivers' licences is just another step toward total government control of every facet of our lives.
Add that to the GPS or radio-frequency identification chips in cars, cellphones, pets, and appliances that communicate with smart meters - 1984 arrived a bit late, but it's here.
Christel Martin
Nanaimo
