BBC medical records story

[David_Biggins@usermgmt.com]

If we are made "responsible" for our medical records,  the one thing you
can be sure of is that while we have to carry and produce them,  we
won't ourselves be allowed free access to read them.

The other thing is that this reads like ID cards through the back
door...    It's just a more cosmetic way of saying a smart card that
citizens will generally need to carry with them at all times - allegedly
in case they need emergency medical treatment at any time... 

Put that way,   in the interests of "hospital efficiency", it's not hard
to see government trying to make it mandatory...

Of course, while the government wouldn't DREAM of using it for ID
purposes,  pretty soon, other organisations will...

And government will reluctantly follow,   and then add other data to
increasingly dense generations of card such as your tax information "to
speed up your visits to the tax office"...

Eventually, of course, the medical data will be squeezed off the card
back onto some central NHS database,  with the card merely used as the
device to access it...     And the conversion from medical record to ID
card will be complete...

Or am I being too cynical?

## dave ##





> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Hansen [mailto:davidh@spidacom.co.uk]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 21:32
> To: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> Subject: BBC medical records story
> 
> 
> Just in case those interested in the subject missed this:
> 
> ===========================================
> 
> Patients are ready and willing to be responsible for their own 
> medical records, a survey suggests. The research found that almost 
> two-thirds (63%) of people said they would like to be responsible for 
> holding their own medical records on a small electronic 'smart' card. 
> 
> Nearly seven out of 10 (69%) said they would be willing to have the 
> responsibility of producing the records on visits to their GP or a 
> hospital. 
> 
> The survey, carried out by NOP Research on behalf of the Doctor 
> Patient Partnership and the Consumer Health Information Centre, also 
> found that most people (73%) are aware that they can access their 
> medical records if they need to. 
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1853000/1853934.stm
> 
> ===========================================
> 
> Any estimates on how many lines of medical record a "smart" card can 
> hold? Probably zero, especially with photographs.
> 
> Any encryption afforded to these records?
> 
> Will the Home Office ask for a law preventing undesirables like 
> insurance companies and customs perverts demanding to see these 
> records?
> 
> 
> 
> --
>   David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
>  I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
>  prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.
> 
> 
>