Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:102 Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that it is impossible for electronic files on patients to be shared between hospitals due to the fact that the primary identifier on a patient’s file is a number assigned to him or her by the hospital, which makes cross-referencing impossible, so that if a patient is subsequently treated at a different hospital there is no efficient way to obtain his or her history; her views on the establishment of a system whereby the primary identifier would be the PPS number or, in the case of tourists, the passport number; if she will take steps to have such a system implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5684/05]
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