An Edmonton-based pharmacist received a $5,000 fine, plus a $1,000 victim fine surcharge, on Friday, Jan. 15 for using health information in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA).
Stanislaus Soosai accessed and used the health information of an individual with whom he was in a vehicle accident in an attempt to persuade the individual from submitting an insurance claim for the vehicle accident.
The individual submitted a complaint in April 2018 to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC), which opened an offence investigation into Mr. Soosai’s actions.
Upon conclusion of its investigation, the OIPC referred findings to the Specialized Prosecutions Branch of Alberta Justice. Charges were laid in July 2019.
It is an offence under HIA to knowingly use health information in contravention of the Act (section 107(2)(a)).
There have been 18 convictions since 2001 for offences under HIA.