UK doctors soon forced to hand over private patient data to government

UK doctors soon forced to hand over private patient data to government

(NaturalNews) It used to be that a patient's relationship with his
doctor was a private affair. But in the new world of government-run
healthcare, this doctor-patient confidentiality arrangement is adding a
new member to the mix -- Big Brother. As reported by the U.K.'s Daily Mail,
doctors throughout Great Britain will more than likely soon be required
to hand over personal information about their patients to the
government on demand, including private medical records and even
personal eating habits.

Dubbed by some as the "biggest data grab
in NHS history," NHS referring to the U.K.'s National Health Service,
the scheme is part of a nationwide initiative called "Everyone Counts,"
which contends to increase the availability of patient data for the
purpose of improving the quality of healthcare. But privacy advocates
say it will reveal too much information to the government about the
personal lives of citizens, including things like weight, cholesterol
levels, alcohol consumption rates, and smoking status, among other
details.

"Under these proposals, medical confidentiality is, in
effect, dead and there is currently nobody standing in the way,"
explained Nick Pickles from the privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch
to the Daily Mail. "It is unbelievable how little the public is
being told about what is going on, while GPs (general practitioners) are
being strong-armed into handing over details about their patients and
to not make a fuss."

British government to use healthcare system as cover to spy on citizens

According
to reports, patient data will be compiled and stored in a single,
national database accessible by Great Britain's ruling class. Officials
insist personal information about patients will remain anonymous in the
system, and be promptly deleted upon analysis, but privacy watchdogs are
not buying this unlikely claim. Since GPs will be required to submit
monthly updates about their patients to the national database, many see
the new requirement as a drastic invasion of privacy.

Of particular concern is the fact that government
officials will be permitted, under the new guidelines, to request
specific information about individual patients as they see fit,
including information about why they were referred to a certain
specialist, for instance, or why they were prescribed a specific drug.
The British government claims this massive data mining initiative will
help evaluate demand for services and ultimately improve treatment.

In the process; however, the government will also have the option to sell patient data
to third parties without their permission. Patients will also be
prohibited from opting out of the program, which means they will have no
choice but to sacrifice their medical confidentiality in order to
receive state-sanctioned medical care. And with Obamacare quickly taking
shape in the U.S., Americans can expect the same type of privacy
invasion in their country in the coming months and years.

"Not only has the public not been told what is going on, none of us has been asked to give our permission for this to happen,"

Source:-
http://www.naturalnews.com/038977_patient_data_medical_surveillance_government.html