Officials disinfect a bus station in Guro Ward in Seoul on March 14, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Coronavirus patients can now request corrective measures whenever they feel their rights and privacy have been violated after their travel logs go public.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Tuesday that new legislation on epidemics management that includes the aforementioned policy went into effect early this month.
The new legislation requires health authorities to swiftly disclose all information about the infected patient in case of an epidemic outbreak, including travel logs, means of transportation used, medical institution visited, and the list of people who came in contact with the patient.
If any of the information revealed is not true, however, the patient can raise a formal objection in writing, orally, or through online platforms.
If the objection is deemed reasonable, the legislation requires health authorities either to correct the information or take other necessary measures to resolve the issue.
The new legislation comes as more people are accusing health authorities for violating the privacy of COVID-19 patient after disclosing specific dates and hours on travel logs and locations they’ve visited.
For instance, two infected patients, male and female churchgoers from Busan, were recently found to have stayed in a resort at a similar hour.
Many posted comments about them online, suspecting infidelity. As it turned out, the couple was participating in a leadership program offered by the church.
“Sensitive information, sometimes overly private, is being exposed to the public as authorities disclose the travel logs of patients to the public,” said Choi Young-ae, chief of the National Human Rights Commission.
In response, health authorities created guidelines on patient information disclosure for distribution among local authorities, which requires them not to disclose the patient’s full home address, and other identifiable information such as the name of their workplace.
Information on locations visited and means of transportation used can be disclosed only when it involves physical contact with outside individuals.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
