By Dionne Meehan
GARDAÍ have launched an investigation after footage of people accessing confidential medical files at a building to the rear of St Conal’s Hospital in Letterkenny appeared online.
In a video uploaded on the short-form video hosting app ‘Tik Tok’ an individual can be seen entering the building, locally known as the ‘new building’, and viewing the medical files stored there.
The content creator, who is well-known on Tik Tok and YouTube for “exploring abandoned and forgotten locations”, included close up shots of x-rays and patient medical files in his video.
Following the first video, a second video was uploaded which included a voice over.
“Why were so many documents and files left behind in this Irish Psychiatric Hospital,” the content creator asked.
This video, which was taken on the same night as the first video, shows another individual rummaging through thousands of abandoned medical files.
“If walls could talk,” he said.
In response to the incident, the HSE said they were made aware that historical patient files which date back several decades, which were stored in a locked facility in a HSE building, had been accessed.
Alerting gardaí to the incident, the HSE said the building was reviewed by local HSE management following the incident and additional security measures were fitted to further secure the building.
“This incident has also been reported to the Data Protection Commissioner in accordance with legislation. The Commissioner will determine whether or not this constitutes a breach given that it was the result of forced entry and trespass,” a spokesperson said.
The HSE concluded by saying a review of the requirements to continue to store historical records, in line with HSE policy on record retention periods, will be completed as soon as possible.
In a statement sent to the Donegal News, a spokesperson from An Garda Síochána confirmed gardaí are currently investigating the incident.
“Gardaí in Donegal are currently making enquiries into an incident which occurred at a premises in Letterkenny,” a spokesperson said.
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