Wang Jingcheng, deputy to the National People’s Congress and also president of Subei People’s Hospital Medical Group, stressed the importance of personal information protection while attending the annual session of the top legislature in Beijing.
In the booming healthcare industry, various sources for Big Data include hospital records, personal medical records, results of examinations and clinical data generated on-site or online. Such a vast treasure trove of data, when shared, can help reduce medical costs and improve service quality, but privacy should not be compromised in the use of such information, said Wang.
Wang’s research shows an increasing volume of data amid the accelerated application of information technologies in hospitals, such as in the form of electronic prescriptions and medical records. However, the challenges including lack of laws, regulations and safety standards to effectively manage the information, may lead to data leak endangering life and property of individuals or national security.
Another problem according to Wang is that some hospitals have developed their own information management system and then face compatibility issues in practice, leaving the system vulnerable to cyberattacks and ransomware threats. This then poses a threat to patient privacy and even opens door for medical fraud and illegal activities, said Wang.
In the view of Wang, it’s important to improve the regulation, hold Internet healthcare platforms legally responsible for data protection, ensure personal information de-identification in sharing data, and keep in mind that it’s strictly prohibited to leak personal healthcare data for commercial use without patients' consent.
He also recommended to improve the security system for medical data, such as the establishment of national healthcare information platform to facilitate data connection and sharing, in line with clear regulations or requirements on data search.
Wang said efforts are also needed to strengthen the security monitoring and early warning, establish coordinated emergency response system, and carry out reliability and security assessments of platforms and service providers. Meanwhile, China should crack down on illegal medical institutions and consulting platforms, data leak and data hacking, according to Wang.
