Background

The PDPA is a baseline law that ensures a common standard of protection for individuals’ personal data across organisations in Singapore. For the healthcare sector, existing laws such as Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA), Termination of Pregnancy Act, the Infectious Diseases Act, etc will continue to apply concurrently with the PDPA. Where there are inconsistencies between the PDPA and existing sectoral laws and regulations in respect of the collection, use or disclosure of personal data, the provisions of the other written laws shall prevail.

What is personal data

Personal data refers to any data, whether true or not, about an individual who can be identified (a) from that data; or (b) from that data and other information to which we have or are likely to have access to, including data in our records as may be updated from time to time. Examples of such personal data you may provide to us include your name, NRIC, passport or other identification number, telephone number(s), mailing address, email address and any other information relating to any individuals which you have provided us in any forms you may have submitted to us (including in the form of biometric data), or via other forms of interaction with you. NRIC, passport and other state issued numbers are requested for is necessary for healthcare related purposes. In some situations, personal data may include tissue, blood or saliva specimen provided by an individual but only where such materials are linked with data that can lead to the identification of the data subject.

What is not personal data

Personal data does not include data about an individual which has been anonymised. Anonymisation is the process of removing identifying information such that the remaining data does not identify any particular individual.

Cedar Rheumatology respects and keeps your data safe

The PDPA protects your personal data while enabling organisations to use your data reasonably to serve you. We respect and keep your data safe by:

• limiting access to only doctors and healthcare personnel who are involved in your care, and to the supporting internal processes,
• conducting regular checks to ensure that your personal data is only accessed by authorised persons, and
• removing details, as far as possible, that identify you when using your data for internal purposes.

Consent

By voluntarily providing your personal data in order to obtain medical care at Cedar Rheumatology, it will be deemed that you have consented to the collection, use, disclosure and processing of your personal data by us for the purposes directly related to the provision of the following:

• medical care to you, which includes referrals to other healthcare professionals and institutions, laboratories, radiology centres, third party healthcare service providers;
• sending you personal information, including results of laboratory tests or radiology scans, through emails or encrypted messages;
• identifying you as a candidate for any relevant clinical trials;
• responding to, handling, and processing queries, requests, applications, complaints, and feedback from you;
• complying with any applicable laws, regulations, codes of practice, guidelines, or rules, or to assist in law enforcement and investigations conducted by any governmental and/or regulatory authority;
• transmitting to any unaffiliated third parties including our third party service providers and agents, insurance companies, CPF board, lawyers partners, vendors, agents and relevant governmental and/or regulatory authorities, whether in Singapore or abroad, for the aforementioned purposes;
• and other associated purposes (e.g, billings, internal administration, training and internal quality control).

Withholding/withdrawing consent

You are entitled under applicable law to withhold / withdraw consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal data, and we will respect your choice. You may withhold consent at any juncture that you are asked for consent, and you may also withdraw consent. However, your choice to withhold or withdraw consent will affect the medical care and services you will receive from us or other healthcare institutions and in some cases, it may also become unsafe or unlawful for us to provide medical treatment without the ability to collect, use or disclose your personal data.

Access to your personal data/correction to your personal data

You have the right to access your personal data in our system and we will provide you with the relevant personal data at your request within a reasonable time.

You may also request a correction of your personal data. We will correct your personal data as soon as possible when your request is made unless we have reasonable grounds not to do so.

Contact us

Please be assured that we will protect your personal data as required under the PDPA and other relevant legislation such as the Private Hospitals and Medical Clinics Act.

To ensure the continual improvement of the quality of the medical care being provided to you, your personal data collected by us may, from time to time and where relevant, be used and so that we can conduct quality assurance and service improvement audits and studies.

For more information, please contact us at admin@cedar-rheumatology.com.sg