Former AHS employee fined $12,000

EDMONTON – A former employee of Alberta Health Services (AHS) has been fined $12,000 for the offence of knowingly using and creating health information in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA). The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) opened an offence investigation into this matter in June 2023 after AHS submitted a breach report to the OIPC.

After the investigation, in March 2024, the OIPC charged Hind Mahmoud Dabash with falsifying COVID-19 immunization records of nearly 200 people from September 3, 2021 to November 24, 2021 while employed in an administrative support staff role at AHS.

The false information was entered into the MEDITECH health information system, which then feeds into Alberta Health’s ImmARI (Immunization and Adverse Reaction to Immunization) system, which is the provincial repository for records of all provincially funded and privately-purchased vaccines.

On November 19th, 2024, Dabash pled guilty to the charge of knowingly using and creating health information of 199 members of the public in contravention of HIA. The other charge, of knowingly gaining access to the health information of 199 members of the public, was withdrawn. Justice Mah of the Alberta Court of Justice sentenced Dabash to a fine of $12,000. This was the third largest fine in the history of HIA.

Through the OIPC, the Commissioner performs the responsibilities set out in Alberta’s three access to information and privacy laws, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act), the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The Commissioner operates independently of government.