Technology Minister Fayval Williams says

the Data Protection Bill will require public health facilities to strengthen

security mechanisms to safeguard patient information.

The bill, which is now before a Joint

Select Committee of Parliament, will offer new rights and protections on the

use of citizens’ personal data.

Williams has urged public healthcare

facilities to prepare for its implementation.

 “The

healthcare sector is an area that manages sensitive personal data. The Data

Protection Bill is making its way through Parliament and there are going to be

new obligations on you for the data you have. You will be required to do a

number of things to ensure the data is safe and secure,” she pointed out.

She noted that individuals will have

greater autonomy over how their personal information is used.

“We will also have new rights to our

personal data under that new regime. As data subjects, we will have the right

to call on you to tell us what data you have on us and to give us,” she added.

Minister Williams was speaking at the

official ceremony to announce the increase in bandwidth at the South East

Regional Health Authority (SERHA) and the Kingston Public and Victoria Jubilee

hospitals, held on Tuesday (February 18) at the hospitals’ North Street address

in Kingston.

Among other things, the Data Protection

Bill will provide guidelines on how personal data should be collected,

processed, stored, used and disclosed in physical or electronic form.

It requires that data should only be

obtained for specific lawful purposes, with the consent of the individual, and

should not be used or processed in any way incompatible with the original

purpose.

It further stipulates that the data

collected must be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; must not be

held for longer than is necessary for the original purpose; must be protected

using appropriate technical and organisational measures, and be disposed of in

accordance with the regulations.

The bill provides that data must not be

transferred to a State or territory outside of Jamaica, without an adequate

level of protection for the rights and freedoms of the individual from whom the

data has been collected.

Meanwhile, Williams said that there will be

further improvements in the information and communication technology (ICT)

infrastructure and energy efficiency at KPH and VJH.

 “We

are happy to enable the ICT infrastructure here and there will be more to come.

Work is soon to commence on the energy efficiency – the hospitals will be

getting deep retrofits. Contractors will look at the lighting and

air-conditioning system and energy use to see if renewables could be used to

help drive efficiencies here. That contract was signed, and the implementation

is to take place shortly,” she indicated.