(File Photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Privacy breach

Multiple privacy breaches at BUH by SHA employee

Jun 27, 2025 | 4:58 PM

There have been multiple privacy breaches at the Battlefords Union Hospital in recent months, battlefordsNOW has learned.

Over a six-month period from Oct. 1, 2024 to April 4, 2025 an operating room scheduler used the MedAccess electronic health record to look at names, home addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, health services numbers and primary care information of hundreds of patients.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority employee also accessed the OR Manager – a management system – over a period of three months from Jan. 6 to April 17, 2025 and in addition to viewing personal information, the employee was also able to see surgical booking details.

According to two letters that were sent out to patients and obtained by battlefordsNOW, this was in direct violation of the Health Information Protection Act and the SHA offered apologies.

“The SHA does require staff to take private training, but I am working closely with SHA leadership to explore how policies and procedures can be strengthened to better protect patient information,” said Heath Minister Jeremy Cockrill in a statement.

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According to the SHA, they are “committed to ensuring the safety and privacy of its patients, residents, staff and physicians” and as such, monitors patient record access.

“The SHA confirms that a privacy breach did occur at Battlefords Union Hospital between October 2024 and April 2025 in which personal health information was accessed by an employee not involved in providing care to those patients.”

The letter goes on to further say that the SHA has informed the Saskatchewan office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

“In the specific incident regarding patients at Battlefords Union Hospital, all affected patients have been notified, and the employee is no longer with the SHA. If any patient has further questions or concerns, I encourage them to reach out to the SHA Privacy Office, or the contact listed in their notification letter.”

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com