Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)

I move amendment No. 5:

“Review of accessibility of health data

7. The Minister shall, within two years of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas outlining - (a) the steps taken to assist persons with lower digital literacy or connectivity issues to access their health data and exercise their right to restrict access to information, in accordance with the legislation, and

(b) the specific supports made available to vulnerable populations to address barriers to understanding and utilising digital health.”.

This amendment relates to the review of the accessibility of the data. While the digitalisation of our health service is essential, it does risk deepening the digital divide. Digital literacy, access to technology and language barriers present challenges for some groups, such as, for example, older people, lower income households or migrant groups. The inability of certain groups to access their health data in line with legislation should be a real cause for concern. In 2021, the ESRI recommended the development of specific supports for vulnerable populations in order to address barriers to understanding ehealth, such as lower digital literacy and language competency. I accept that these supports may not be set down in legislation, but that does not minimise their importance. The Sláintecare 2025+ plan identifies health literacy as an issue and refers to developing a health literacy toolkit. That is very welcome, but I encourage the Minister to ensure there is a similar focus on digital health literacy.

Equally, it is important to ensure that patients can exercise their rights to restrict access to their healthcare data. This is provided for in the Bill, as mentioned, but some people will need additional support in exercising those rights. With this in mind, I am of the view that it is reasonable to assess these issues within two years of the enactment of this legislation. We cannot allow some people to be left behind as we digitalise our health services. We have to bring people with us to ensure that public trust in the entire system is not undermined.

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