| Broten says patients privacy should be respected | | Print | |
|
25 January 2012 The NDP is calling on the Sask. Party government to immediately put a stop to the Grateful Patient Direct Mail program announced for the Saskatoon Health Region. The program will use personal information to contact recent hospital patients to solicit donations for health care. "It's not appropriate to automatically contact the households of all hospital patients to solicit donations," said NDP health critic Cam Broten. "Instead of the health region just assuming patients' consent, patients should have the right to choose if they want their households contacted." Broten noted that Saskatchewan Privacy Commissioner Gary Dickson has expressed the same concern. In a 2010 report, Dickson said any such program should allow patients to opt-in, rather than requiring them to opt-out. "This is about respecting and protecting patients," said Broten. "For the health region to send out official letters to every recent patient asking for money is not only unbecoming but it could breach the privacy of some patients and leave others feeling obligated to donate."
|
