The application of the General Data Protection Law in health

Abstract

Motivated by the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation by the European Union, the Brazilian legislator approved the General Data Protection Law, expressly making the protection of personal data a fundamental right and recognizing the existence of a specific category of data, known as sensitive personal data, the concept of which encompasses data relating to health and which receive specific treatment in this legal document. The objective of the present study was to analyze how the General Data Protection Law deals with the protection of health-related data. To this end, using a deductive method and bibliographic analysis, the study was divided into two parts. In the first part, the legal concept of data brought by the General Data Protection Law was exposed, as well as the legal definition of sensitive data. The second part discussed how this law deals with health data. In general, it is concluded that, with the entry into force of the General Data Protection Law, health professionals, medical clinics, hospitals and health centers, among others, who process sensitive personal data related to health should adopt measures to adapt their activities to the legislation as soon as possible, in order to avoid sanctions that can range from the imposition of financial fines to the prohibition of the use of sensitive personal data.