Joint Statement on protecting patient data in the Digital Omnibus

Nine civil society organisations including the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) are calling EU policymakers to safeguard patients' data protection in the Digital Omnibus. 

Digitalisation can support better healthcare but shouldn't come at the expense of fundamental rights, patient confidentiality, or trust in sector. Patients’ data are sensitive personal data and can reveal intimate information about a person’s physical or mental state.  

To safeguard patient data rights, it is essential to:  

• Preserve the protections of health data in the digital environment
• Ensure that AI development does not bypass safeguards for the use of patient data
• Protect patients from tracking, profiling and commercial exploitation
• Maintain strong safeguards for pseudonymised (health) data
• Preserve the right not to be subject to automated decision-making and ensure meaningful human oversight in healthcare
• Support innovation without weakening fundamental rights. 

The full call is available in attachement.