Data Protection Bill ready for Parliament – AG Nandlall announces
The draft Data Protection Bill of 2023 is ready to be tabled in the National Assembly, following the completion of the consultation process.
The proposed piece of legislation has been developed to protect the privacy of individuals and regulate the collection, keeping, processing, use, and dissemination of personal data.
It is integral to Guyana’s development since the government through the Ministry of Health is moving to implement an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system as well as introduce electronic identification cards (e-IDs) in Guyana.
Speaking during his weekly televised programme, ‘Issues in the News’ Tuesday evening, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, expressed disappointment with the little input the bill received since public consultation opened on April 15.
“We put it out there for public input and recommendation from the very people who were clamouring for such a bill. I am disappointed to say that we didn’t receive much input from the public and the bill now is ready for Parliament,” he disclosed.
However, he described the bill as another ‘significant’ piece of legislation in Guyana’s legislative framework.
“These are transformative changes that are taking place in Guyana and all of these legislative changes are intended to prepare our legal landscape for the type of developmental agenda that we are pursuing,” the AG asserted.
The Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system will allow healthcare professionals to access patients’ records in a short period, improving patient care and safety in the public health system.
Meanwhile, the electronic identification card system will be used for data capture, validation, storage, transfer; credential management, and identity authentication and verification.
The system will position Guyana among a group of nations, which boast the most technologically advanced electronic identification systems available.
The card will assist in the management of immigrants into Guyana, as well as other critical immigration services. It offers fingerprint verification for cardholders, which eliminates the current need for proof of address when conducting transactions, especially at financial institutions. With the passage of the Data Protection Bill, protection of citizens’ data is guaranteed.