Prince Albert residents warned of privacy breach after vehicle with lab samples stolen: Sask. Health Authority
Health authority says it's directly contacting patients affected, review underway
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is warning residents in Prince Albert about a potential privacy breach, after a vehicle carrying lab samples was stolen earlier this week.
The health authority issued an advisory for residents of Prince Albert and the surrounding area on Friday, saying a third-party courier vehicle carrying specimens was stolen in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The health authority says police found the stolen vehicle, but the majority of the packages containing the lab samples are still missing.
The theft of the samples is being treated as a privacy breach, since personal health information is on each sample, the health authority says.
It says it is working to directly contact all the affected patients, and staff are reviewing the health records associated with the missing samples.
The health authority is urging anyone who may come across the packages to call Healthline 811 so it can make arrangements to safely collect the specimen. It asks members of the public not to to open the packages or touch the specimens.
A full review of the incident is underway to prevent similar thefts in the future, the health authority says.