FREDERICTON - There were calls from the Opposition on Friday for New Brunswick Health Minister Mike Murphy to quit or be fired after the third breach of confidential health records in just over a year.
"The minister of health should have already lost his job," said Conservative Leader David Alward.
"Someone has to take responsibility and that responsibility stops at the top."
Government officials confirmed a health authority employee lost a notebook on Feb. 9 that contained personal information on 203 people, but that the Health Department wasn't notified until March 16.
It is policy to notify the deputy minister immediately of any confidentiality breach.
Acting health minister Kelly Lamrock admitted the policy wasn't followed, but refused to talk about what disciplinary measures might be taken.
"I have no intention of discussing personal matters within the health region," said Lamrock, who's filling in for Murphy while he's on vacation.
Lamrock said as soon as the department learned of the breach, it offered everyone affected free credit counselling and monitoring to ensure their personal information wasn't misused.
The issue only became public Friday after a media report.
Lamrock said the health authority didn't want to alert anyone who may have the notebook of how the contained information could be used to obtain credit illegally.
It isn't the first time New Brunswickers' confidential health information has been misplaced.
In late 2007, computer tapes containing billing information for 485 New Brunswickers and 133 British Columbians were lost.
Last September, a Grade 5 student in Edmundston was given confidential patient information on the back of a homework assignment after a hospital donated scrap paper to the school.
The health minister said last year he was working to create a culture of privacy in the department.
Lamrock said he believes progress is being made, but that "constant employee training" is needed.
"You have to have the right set of rules, you have to constantly remind people of the rules, and you have to enforce the rules," he said.
"All that is being done, but it does not mean that everything will always be done perfectly and there will never be human error again."
In the legislature, Alward repeatedly asked Premier Shawn Graham to answer questions on the issue, but the premier remained in his seat, deflecting the questions to Lamrock.
The premier also refused to face questions from reporters.
Murphy came under fire earlier in the week when the Opposition accused him of not doing enough to stop Canadian Blood Services from moving its production and distribution facility from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia.
