Employee let go after privacy breach in Nanaimo

NANAIMO, B.C. – Island Health has fired an employee following a privacy breach of 102 people at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. The breach involved an employee who is “no longer associated with Island Health,” the authority said.

“This situation is unacceptable and we wholeheartedly apologize to everyone who has been affected by this situation,” Island Health said in a statement.

Details about the people affected by the breach have not been released. Island Health says keeping patient and client information secure and private is a “top priority,” CTV News reported.

“Our employees are well aware the snooping into the health records of family and friends, or anyone, is prohibited,” the organization said. “They receive information and training about privacy, their employee obligations when accessing confidential information and records, and they sign confidentiality acknowledgements which must be renewed annually.”

The breach comes nearly three years after a similar breach at Island Health hospitals that saw nearly 200 patients affected. In that case, two employees used their access privileges to look at electronic health records of patients not in their care.

The two employees were terminated by the organization, and the incident prompted an investigation by B.C.’s privacy watchdog.