I have today suspended the international medical observer program following a patient information breach where patient details were shared on social media by an individual medical observer.
This matter has today been referred to the Public Information Commissioner and to the Police Commissioner to determine whether any criminal offences have occurred.
I again want to apologise to all patients affected by this completely unacceptable breach of trust that should never have happened.
As part of continued investigations into the patient information breach, NT Health has identified seven further patients affected by the breach at this time.
NT Health is contacting these patients to explain what has happened, apologise and offer support.
This brings the total known number of patients affected by the breach to 12 – but it is possible this number may rise as a result of further investigations. NT Health will contact patients immediately once they are identified.
NT Health is working with the relevant authorities to ensure all avenues of this matter are investigated appropriately.
I have suspended the program while the investigation is underway and to ensure stronger safeguards are in place to prevent this from happening again.
Placement agreements will be strengthened, requiring all participants to sign non-disclosure agreements and legally binding confidentiality agreements.
Induction processes will also be tightened to ensure every participant clearly understands their privacy obligations, with appropriate support to address any language barriers.
Patient privacy is non-negotiable. Every Territorian must be able to trust that their personal health information is safe and secure. This incident involved the actions of one individual, not the broader NT Health workforce, but we will not take that trust for granted. We are strengthening safeguards to ensure patient privacy remains paramount.
