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The Department of Health and Social Services is assuring the public it's monitoring 86 health cards that are still missing after the department mailed almost 200 cards to the wrong address in July.

Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny says he's "shocked" the Department of Health and Social Services doesn't consider 196 misdirected health cards a privacy issue. The department mailed the cards to wrong addresses this July and 86 are still missing. - Randi Beers/NNSL photo

In the legislative assembly earlier this month, Range Lake MLA Daryl Dolynny called Health and Social Services Minister Glen Abernethy to task over the department's claim that no privacy concerns have arisen from the mistake.

Abernethy explained to assembly in July the department, in what he called a "spreadsheet error," mailed 196 health cards to the wrong address. One hundred-and-ten cards were returned to the department, leaving 86 cards still out there.

The minister told Dolynny the affected individuals are aware of the error and the department is monitoring the outstanding health card numbers of suspicious activity.

"I'm really shocked they're not considering this a breach of privacy," Dolynny later told News/North. "A quick Google search indicates this can be a fraud issue and for this minister to brush it off and say it's no big deal, we have a duty to preserve this type of information ... I shake my head at this one."

Elaine Keenan Bengts, the territory's information and privacy commissioner, confirmed her office is conducting an independent review of the missing health cards although she declined to comment.

Daniel Williams, a senior call-taker supervisor at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, says it's possible to commit identity fraud with a stolen health card and advised anybody who's lost theirs to immediately call RCMP to report it stolen.

"If you lost a health card, it could absolutely be bad for you," he said. "It's very important to report it to the local police and the agency that issued the card so they can get it on file."

According to Williams, identity theft is the "most massive" form of fraud affecting North America.

Damien Healy, manager of planning and communications for the department, stated in an e-mail the department is "monitoring the use of the remaining 86 cards."

Nobody within the department was available to confirm whether health officials are working with RCMP or credit agencies to monitor any potential identity theft arising from the misuse of the missing cards.

Williams added monitoring the cards within the department should mitigate concerns regarding their use to fraudulently obtain health care, but "whether somebody uses that identification as secondary ID to obtain some type of credit, the quickest way to find that out would be through a credit report."

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