Drs4Drs Privacy Policy  

 

What is our privacy commitment to you? 

Privacy protection and confidentiality of health information is essential for quality health care. While we do not provide health care services ourselves, we too are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the visitors to our website and people who contact us. 

In addition to this professional and ethical commitment, we are required to comply with applicable Commonwealth, State and Territory privacy law. Under these privacy laws, we are required to comply with a set of privacy principles. The core principles are in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). More information about these principles and Australian privacy law can be found on the Australian Information Commissioner’s website www.oaic.gov.au. 

 

What personal information do we collect, store and use and how do we collect this? 

Drs4Drs collects personal information from:  

  • persons seeking referral to State or Territory doctors health services 
  • members of the public, journalists, government agencies and other organisations seeking information or comment 
  • visitors to our website 
  • people making donations to Drs4Drs  
  • State or Territory doctors’ health services 

Much of this information is collected directly from the person concerned, including through emails, telephone calls and our website, apps and mobile devices. We also collect this information from publicly available websites, and social media.   

 

Why do we collect personal information and what do we use it for? 

Drs4Drs collects, stores and uses personal information:  

  • to connect doctors with State and Territory doctors health services 
  • to respond to queries from the public and the media,  
  • to provide information and services to the media, government and community 
  • to comply with our reporting obligations under funding agreements.  

We do not share personal information with third parties unless: 

  • It is necessary to provide the service or information you have requested, for example, to connect you with a specific health service which may require sharing your contact details with that service. 
  • You have agreed.  
  • The information is already publicly available.  
  • The disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law, or permitted by the Privacy Act.  

 

What information is collected about people who visit your website? 

No personal information is collected automatically through this website. You can choose to provide your personal information via our website if you: 

  • ask us to refer you to a State or Territory doctors health service; or 
  • use the “Contact Us or Make a General Enquiry” 

Our web server logs will also record the following deidentified information for statistical purposes: 

  • Your source IP address 
  • Your domain or top level domain name (for example practice.com, .gov, .au etc) 
  • The date and time of your visit to the site 
  • The pages you accessed and documents downloaded 
  • The previous site you visited 
  • The type of browser you are using 

This information is used by us to monitor usage patterns on our sites in order to improve navigation and design features. We do not provide any of this information to third parties. 

Drs4Drs uses Google Analytics to track website usage. This helps us analyse how users interact with our website, which allows us to continually improve our content and functionality.  You can find out more about Google Analytics on the Google Analytics information pages. You can opt out of having this information collected, through Google. 

While we collect some statistical information to comply with our funding agreements, this information does not relate to individuals.   

 

Can I deal with you anonymously or use a pseudonym? 

If you want to be referred to a State or Territory doctors health service, we will need your name and contact details.   

We will also need your name and contact details if you want access to personal information about you. 

We may be able to answer other queries without knowing who you are. 

 

Do you use personal information for direct marketing? 

No.  

 

How can I update or amend my information? 

Drs4Drs does not maintain a database of persons who have requested referral to State and Territory health services. If you want to update or amend your information, you need to contact the State or Territory health service that you dealt with. 

Drs4Drs also retains information about any donations to Drs4Drs for accountability purposes. 

Drs4Drs does store information related to other contacts that are essential for our operations, including but not limited to, volunteers, partners, and affiliates. This is done to facilitate our work and mission. For any inquiries or requests regarding this data, including updates, corrections, or deletions, please reach out to us via enquiries@drs4drs.com.au. 

 

How do we store and protect the information we hold about you? 

We store your information at our premises, in electronic systems under our control and with contracted data storage providers. We take appropriate steps to protect the security of the information we hold about you, including protections against unauthorised access, virus or other electronic intrusions, fire, theft or loss. We require our contracted providers to do the same. Our staff are bound by strict requirements regarding the protection of the privacy of the information we collect and hold about you.  

 

Do you send my information overseas? 

We or our contracted data storage providers may use servers, systems and cloud computing providers outside of Australia. Our contracts with them require them to protect the privacy of your information when held on these servers and/or using cloud computing. Our contractors are required to comply with the Australian Privacy laws. 

 

For how long do you keep my personal information? 

If you contacted us about referral to a State and Territory doctors’ health service, your original request will be retained in our computer systems but will only be accessible to Administrators. 

If you contacted us for another reason, we generally keep your personal information active for as long as is reasonably required to enable us to meet your needs. 

As part of our data security, we regularly backup and archive our electronic databases. 

 

You have a right to see what information we hold about you 

Under Australian privacy law, you have rights of access to personal information we hold about you. These rights also include correction of any errors in this information. Should you wish to access this information please contact us. Unless the access you request will require special steps or significant resources, there will be no charge for providing you with this access. 

 

What if I want more information on how we protect your privacy or I have a complaint? 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a concern or issue in relation to how we collect, store, use or disclose your personal information. Please reach out to us via email enquiries@drs4drs.com.au.  

If your concern relates to the AMA please contact them via email memberservices@ama.com.au.