BY LOH FOON FONG
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is seeking an exemption for doctors to register with the Commissioner of the Personal Data Protection as users of patients’ data.
MMA president Datuk Dr NKS Tharmaseelan said that doctors had been given until Saturday to register themselves or be slapped with a fine of up to RM500, 000 or up to three years’ jail as spelled out in the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, which came into force on Nov 15.
In a letter dated Feb 12, MMA requested that doctors be exempted from the exercise as they were already governed by the Medical Act that provides for patients’ data to be protected and that the Malaysian Medical Council could take action against them for violating patient confidentiality.
“We did not receive any notice regarding this exercise,” he said.
He said the Personal Data Protection Act required all doctors to register as data users with an annual fee of RM200.
Dr Tharmaseelan said all doctors had to register themselves as a data users if they were licensed under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 for a private clinic or chain clinics or dental clinic, he said.
The Act has been gazetted and the health sector was among the 11 sectors mandated by law to register as data users.
MMA has also requested for an extension of date by three months from Feb 15 so that it could inform all doctors regarding the exercise and give time for them to comply with the Act.
He said that MMA would also approach the Health Ministry to assist in getting the exemption.
There are 37,000 doctors in the country and 14,000 of them are MMA members.
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