Privacy Code Fact Sheet

All Canadians have a right to control who has access to their personal health information and how it will be used. This right to privacy is protected by a number of laws, policies and guidelines with which, as a Government of Canada program, the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program must comply.

Health Canada's NIHB Program collects and uses personal health information as part of its day-to-day operations. This Privacy Code provides a consistent approach and set of procedures that describes how the program protects the privacy of personal health information.

The NIHB Privacy Code has two primary objectives:

1. To set out the commitments of the NIHB Program to ensure the confidentiality of personal health information that it collects and uses
   
   
2. To increase awareness of NIHB privacy activities

The NIHB Privacy Code is based on 10 principles set out in the Canadian Standard Association's Model Code for the protection of personal health information which are: accountability, identifying purposes, consent, limiting collection, limiting use, disclosure and retention, accuracy, safeguards, openness about policies and practices, individual access and challenging compliance. These guide all NIHB privacy activities and help the NIHB Program answer the following questions:

• What information do we collect?
• How do we collect it?
• What do we collect it for?
• Who do we share it with?
• How do we protect it?

The NIHB Privacy Code meets the Privacy Act, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms , Treasury Board Security Policy and the Canadian Standard Association's Model Code for the protection of personal health information.

The NIHB Privacy Code applies to employees of the NIHB Program and all individuals, groups or organizations that collect, use, disclose or access personal information to administer the NIHB Program.

Since the first draft of the NIHB Privacy Code was released in May 2003, significant enhancements have been made to it. First Nations and Inuit and privacy experts have all made valuable suggestions for improvement. Some of the important changes made so far include providing more detailed information on NIHB privacy procedures and simplifying the definitions of terms.

Comments are invited on the NIHB Privacy Code. The final date for comments is July 30th, 2004 with plans to post the final version in early fall.

Please send your suggestions to one of the addresses provided below. Summaries of the comments received will be posted on the NIHB Website at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fnihb/nihb/index.htm.

Please send your comments and suggested changes in writing to:

E-mail: nihbprivacycode_comments@hc-sc.gc.ca

Fax (Toll-free): 1-866-755-1355

Mail: Attn: NIHB Privacy Code
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Non-Insured Health Benefits Directorate  
A.L. 1919A, Room 1903A
Jeanne Mance Building, Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, ON K1A 0L3

For more information on the NIHB Privacy Code, please contact the NIHB Consent Information Centre at 1-888-751-5011