The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Phil Wall, has released his Report 2007-008 under authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. A summary of the Report is included below.

To view the Report in its entirety, please go to //www.oipc.gov.nl.ca/.

Report: 2007-008
Report Date: June 26, 2007
Public Body: Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority ("Eastern Health")

Summary: The Applicant applied under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the "ATIPPA") for access to the results of hormone receptor tests conducted by Eastern Health for 866 cancer patients and to the results of the subsequent retests for those patients conducted by Mount Sinai Hospital. The Applicant was not requesting disclosure of the names of the patients or of any other information that would identify the individual patients. Eastern Health refused to release the test results claiming that the responsive record contained the personal information of the patients and that it was therefore prohibited by section 30(1) of the ATIPPA from releasing the records. The Commissioner found that information in the records could be severed such that their release would not disclose personal information to the Applicant. The Commissioner recommended that the responsive record be disclosed with all identifying information severed.

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Media contact:
Sandy Hounsell
Executive Director
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
709-729-6309

2007 06 29                                              12:00 noon