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  • AADD Moderators: Tronica

Freedom of Information Act and Medical Records

No you can't use the FOI act to obtain medical records from a private GP. They aren't a government body. Privacy legislation allows you to obtain this info though.

You just ask for it. I was considering doing this, as my dr treats me like a drug seeking junkie & I wanted to know if what he writes down is factual or if his opinion is so bias'd to be incorrect and misleading when read by another dr.
So for example, if I leave this GP, and get a new one, the dr may request the medical records from previous dr. If I know what it says I can choose to give him my previous Dr's name or just say I never had a regular dr.

They can refuse to release sections of your record if the information disclosure could lead to you harming yourself or others. The link below is from vic health, but it is based on the federal privacy bill which is in lawyer talk. This is more plain english & easier to understand
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/healthrecords/regs.htm
 
Thanks for the link bobby, that's perfect.

I'm contemplating this for very similar reasons to you, I've been advised to see another doctor from my therapist but as I live in a small country town, there are only 2 clinics with a handful of doctors each, which doesn't give me much choice.
 
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