Susan Okpe: Why governor Ortom revealed identity of coronavirus index case – Aide

NATIONAL HEALTH ACT 2014 LFN

By Barr Franc Fagah Utoo

With respect to confidentiality of health status, the Act Provides as follows ;

“Section 26 (1) All information concerning a user including information relating to his or her health status, treatment or stay in a health establishment is confidential,

(2) Subject to Section 27 of this Act, no person may disclose any information contemplated in subsection (1) unless;
(a) the user consents to that disclosure in writing;
(b) a court order or any law requires that disclosure;
(c) in the case of a minor, with the request of a parent or guardian;
(d) in the case of a person who is otherwise unable to grant consent upon the request of a guardian or representative; Or
(e) non – disclosure of the information represents a serious threat to public health.”

Please, anybody opposing the Governor because of ethnic and/or political inclination, should carefully put on their reading glasses and steadily and slowly perused Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of the aforementioned section 26.

The Governor’s call was made in good faith to enable those who came in contact with her one way or the other to stay on alert and get themselves tested. It is the constitutional duty of the Governor to protect us, and he has been doing that to the best of his ability, devoid of partisanship and sentiments of ethnicity and religion.

On this too, we shall overcome!