[Gllug] NHS opt out

[Jason Clifford]

On Tue, 23 Jan 2007, Christopher Hunter wrote:

> Do you want ANYONE to be able to see your medical records, including
> potential employers, insurance companies, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all?
> 
> There is no proper security at all built into this system, and no
> safeguards to guarantee that the data is accurate.  It will be trivial
> for someone malicious to alter your records to your disadvantage.

Moreover it is intended that civil servants outside the NHS have access to 
the records and that they be sold to commercial entities - this is the 
only way they can imagine it is possible to balance the cost apparently.

How will people feel about their employer being able to access their 
records and see that they were treated for depression or have a chronic 
illness? How about the fact that they may be unable to get insurance, a 
mortgage, etc because their health profile is not good enough?

Then there is the possibility (likelihood?) that people will start 
receiving targetted contacts offering them cheap (and possibly 
unrealiable) drugs from companies that know their medical history?

Jason
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