SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Staff at the CBC station in Yellowknife got a surprise recently when pages upon pages of people's medical records poured out of their fax machine.

The confidential information - which included Pap test and blood test results - came from the health centre in Norman Wells. Staff there intended to fax the records to the health centre in Old Crow, but dialled the wrong number.

Chad Fehr, CEO of the Sahtu Health and Social Services Authority, said policies are being reviewed based on this incident.

He was unaware of the error until CBC contacted his office. He said he could not offer specifics on how many records were faxed without further jeopardizing the client's or clients' identity.

From now on, when his staff ifaxed medical records they have to phone the office they're sending information to confirm after the transmission is complete. But he said medical records are rarely faxed in the first place.

"We're talking two or three times a month," he said.

Temporary measures also include signing off when a fax is complete, including a Health Authority cover sheet and writing down the intended recipient and his or her phone number.

Procedures are being reviewed and may change in light of this incident, said Fehr.

"I would suspect it (e-mail) will be considered in the future as part of a larger review," he said.

If possible, clients should transport their own records if they're moving between jurisdictions or health authorities, he added.

"When clients are available to take their own records with them, that's always the best policy. If they're moving, they can request a copy of records to take with them. Another example is pre-natal," he said.

When people can't take the records themselves, the next best option is registered mail or handing it directly between health professionals, for instance nurses on a medevac flight, Fehr said.

Statements that the breach was a one-time error Fehr made earlier in the week didn't dull criticism from people in the community.

Speaking in the legislative assembly last Tuesday, Norman Yakeleya, MLA for the Sahtu, said the error showed "simple sloppiness" and the lack of professionalism made him lose confidence in the system.

"I would have to say that I don't want them to handle my medical records nor my wife's medical records nor anyone in my family nor those of anyone in the NWT," he said.

Dudley Johnson, the mayor of Norman Wells, told News/North he was outraged to hear about the breach.

"Sweet god. That's disgraceful," he said. "I know there can be accidents, but when you're dealing with medical records, you have to extremely cautious, especially if you're faxing them out."

Damien Healy, a spokesman with the Department of Health and Social Services, said the department is committed to ensuring patient confidentiality and preventing future breaches. He said it will "be working with the NWT Privacy Commissioner to ensure procedures developed will be shared across all authorities."

A later media report said a Yellowknife woman has been consistently receiving medical documents by mistake for years.