Hospital Team To Review Privacy After Police Row

The Hospital Authority has announced it is setting up a special group to look into concerns about patients' privacy and the security of their personal information, after police arrested a number of injured protesters receiving treatment following the June 12 clashes.

The authority's chief executive, Leung Pak-yin, on Thursday joined a growing list of officials offering apologies in the wake of the clashes, as he noted that staff had raised concerns about the arrest of people in their care.

Leung announced a three-member panel would be set up to review the measures in place to protect the privacy of patients, as well as how the personal information recorded on them is handled.

Earlier in the week, medical sector lawmaker Pierre Chan had alleged that police officers were able to access patient databases in accident and emergency departments to help them locate and arrest people hurt in the extradition bill protests.

The Hospital Authority denied that police officers are allowed to log on to the databases. But it said it was putting in place a number of improvement measures, including requiring personal login passwords and making the computer systems automatically log users out if left idle for 15 minutes.

The authority also dismissed Chan's claim that the IT systems of the authority and the police are linked.

But Leung admitted that staff still had worries and said that at a consultation meeting on Wednesday, concerns were raised about how medical personnel should react when police officers approach them regarding patients.

The hospital chief said he had discussed the concerns in a phone call with Police Commissioner Stephen Lo.

Leung also told reporters that the Hospital Authority had suffered a cyber attack on Wednesday. He said the attack lasted for three hours, but no patient data was compromised.

He said the three-member group being set up – which will include former privacy commissioner Stephen Lau – will also look into how to strengthen security to fight off hackers.