Nicosia, Cyprus. The Health Insurance Organisation (HIO) said on Tuesday that the use of personal data in pharmacies must be carried out discreetly and kept confidential at all times. It urged pharmacists to ensure beneficiary privacy during prescription dispensing.
Reporting privacy breaches
The HIO said beneficiaries who notice their personal data being read aloud within earshot of third parties while filling prescriptions, or who identify practices by Gesy pharmacists that violate privacy and confidentiality, can report the issue by contacting the Gesy service centre at 17000.
Limiting disclosure of personal information
The organisation appealed to beneficiaries not to disclose personal data such as their date of birth and ID number near third parties, stressing that only absolutely necessary information should be disclosed.
Using prescription numbers and barcodes
The HIO urged beneficiaries to use the prescription number and the prescription’s barcode, available via the Gesy beneficiary portal. Introduced in late March, the barcode option allows beneficiaries to collect prescriptions from pharmacies with the aim of removing the need to verbally provide personal details.
Have you used the Gesy beneficiary portal’s barcode to collect a prescription from a pharmacy?