The federal government is planning a major e-health initiative aimed at streamlining patient care, eliminating confusion and reducing costs, reports The Australian. The plan has drawn fresh criticism over data privacy and security, with one expert claiming that the budget allotted to address privacy is seriously insufficient. "People are worried about who will be able to look at their medical history, "said University of Sydney surgery professor Mohamed Khadra. "This small amount shows privacy is not that crucial in this context, which is wrong." Under the plan, all citizens will be given a health ID number, but will choose whether to activate the number and what, if any, information is attached to their ID number, the report states.
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