The government clarified Monday that the personal information of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients would not be disclosed to the public as it implements mandatory declaration of personal data for faster contact tracing.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesman of Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging and Infectious Disease, said infected patients are only required to reveal their personal information to the Department of Health (DOH).
“We’re not telling the patients to disclose to the public. We’re telling the patients to disclose to the DOH all accurate and honest information,” he said in a virtual press briefing.
Nograles, however, highlighted that the DOH might share the patients’ information with law enforcement agencies for contract tracing purposes, following the provisions of the Data Privacy Law.
“The DOH ang siyang repository and safe keeper ng information [repository and safe keeper of the information]. But DOH in the context of contact tracing may ask LGUs, and law enforcement agencies to help in contact tracing. And to do that, DOH must necessarily share the info with these enforcers but mindful of the provisions of the Data Privacy Act,” Nograles explained.
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No public disclosure of COVID-19 patients personal information
The IATF official also said a patient who would not disclose personal data or those who will provide false information would be penalized under the Republic Act 11332 or the “Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.”
It is remembered that one of the first doctors who died of the virus was due to a patient who lied and did not disclose the information vital for diagnoses, such as travel history and previous medical conditions.
The patients’ close contacts are expected to come forward for voluntary testing after the disclosure. In recent weeks, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases urged hospitals to seek the patient’s consent first before revealing their identities and condition.
DOH said they would meet today with the IATF to discuss the extent of information the patient would disclose.
“Lilinawin pa ito mamaya sa IATF ano ba iyong extent ng disclosure ng infomation patungkol sa pasyente,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
(This will be cleared later at the inter-agency task force: the extent of the disclosure of information concerning patients.)