THE Department of Health (DOH) yesterday said it is coordinating with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on potential data breach involving medical data of Filipinos.
Following reports that the WHO database has been hacked, the DICT late Monday said the WHO’s COVID-19 vaccination database for the Philippines and India have been compromised, putting at risk personal information of persons who signed up for COVID vaccination, including names, addresses, and medical history.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the DOH “is currently in close coordination with the WHO and the DICT to ascertain the veracity of this report, as well as to determine the extent of any possible data breaches, and the appropriate intervention should there be any.”
“The DOH assures the public that we will release additional information as they become available to us,” he added.
In the meantime, the health department said it has further strengthened its data systems to ensure the confidentiality of all information under its watch.
Herbosa also asked the public to take steps to protect their information against hackers.
“In light of the hacking incidents and data breaches, the DOH calls on the public to remain vigilant and take steps to secure their personal and private information,” he added. — Gerard Naval
