Healthcare is Imperative Component of Personal Data: Report

News Desk

Lahore: Gaps in consent practices and the absence of a comprehensive data protection law are leaving sensitive healthcare information vulnerable in Pakistan, according to a new report by the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF).

The report, titled ‘Data Privacy in Pakistan’s Healthcare Sector’, examined how patient and medical practitioner information is collected and managed under existing systems and policies. Its findings were based on responses from 85 medical practitioners and 64 people who had accessed healthcare services in Pakistan.

The study found that only 40.9 per cent of respondents said their consent was obtained when their data was collected. Meanwhile, 31.8 per cent said they were not asked for consent, while 27.3 per cent were unsure whether consent had been obtained.

The findings also highlighted a mixed approach to managing healthcare records. Some 36.4 per cent of respondents said patient data was recorded digitally, while 27.3 per cent reported manual collection and an equal proportion said healthcare providers used both digital and manual systems.

The report also found that respondents generally viewed medical information as highly sensitive. About 38.6 per cent considered healthcare data as important as other personal data, while 31.8 per cent regarded it as more sensitive. Another 29.5 per cent considered it less sensitive than general personal data.

Speaking at the report’s launch in Lahore, Digital Rights Foundation Executive Director Nighat Dad said healthcare information was an essential component of personal data and closely connected to an individual’s identity.

She called for the government to introduce a data protection law based on human rights principles, warning that the lack of such legislation particularly exposed patients to privacy risks.

DRF Data Privacy Portfolio Project Manager and report author Zainab Durrani also stressed the need to strengthen basic medical ethics, particularly confidentiality, in the healthcare sector.

The report was presented to experts from the healthcare and research sectors, with discussions focusing on existing practices for collecting and handling patient and medical practitioner information and the need for stronger privacy safeguards.