4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan (Rep. Libanan's Facebook)

House Minority Leader and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan is urging the Department of Health (DOH) to create a secure patient information sharing system among healthcare providers.

In a statement on Sunday, June 2, Libanan said such a system “would go a long way in improving health outcomes”.

“There’s no question that a patient information sharing system among healthcare providers can lead to faster diagnosis and treatment, especially in emergency cases, and lessen the hazard of life-threatening medical errors,” the lawmaker said.

“We are now living in a world of greater people mobility. Individuals can have a sudden medical emergency anywhere, and yet their digital or physical medical records are somewhere else,” he added.

Libanan, a lawyer by profession, also holds a bachelor’s degree in medical technology, which involves the study of science applications to diagnose, treat, and prevent health problems.

He pointed out that anybody can have a heart attack or be involved in a road crash anytime, which would get them rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment.

“Medical practitioners of that hospital should be able to quickly access that individual’s health history through a system,” he explained.

With this system’s potential data privacy violations, Libanan stressed that the law already allows the processing of restricted personal details for medical action.

Under Chapter 3, Section 13 (e) of the Data Privacy Law of 2012, or Republic Act (RA) No. 10173, sensitive information may be processed for purposes of medical treatment when necessary, and when carried out by a medical practitioner or a medical treatment institution.

“The law merely underscores the need for the privileged information to be effectively protected at all times against unwanted privacy intrusions,” said Libanan.

He said a patient information sharing mechanism will ultimately bring about an efficient and highly responsive healthcare system for all Filipinos.