The regional government of Andalusia, in southern Spain, accidentally published the clinical data of 23 people suffering from multiple myeloma (a type of blood cell cancer), which remained visible for months on its website. The data includes sensitive patient information, such as name, age and gender; and also medical details, such as date of diagnosis, treatment progress, and side effects experienced. This information was deleted following a report from hospital officials where the 23 patients were being treated.
The publication of this type of data is unprecedented in Spain and violates European data protection law. The data were included in three reports written by the board and published on its website, which served to initiate emergency purchasing procedures for certain types of therapy for multiple myeloma in view of delays in purchasing the necessary ingredients, which were causing problems for patients.
