Your Privacy Matters
Port Moresby General Hospital ("POMGEN", "we", "us", "our" or "the Hospital") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information of patients, visitors, staff, healthcare professionals, contractors, partners and members of the public who interact with our website.
About Port Moresby General Hospital
Port Moresby General Hospital is a major public hospital providing healthcare services to the people of Papua New Guinea.
The POMGEN website provides information about the Hospital, including:
- Hospital services
- Medical services
- Departments
- Patient information
- Visitor information
- Visiting hours
- Health information
- Public announcements
- Hospital news
- Community information
- Careers and employment information
- Contact information
- Emergency information
- Hospital events and activities
- Resources and publications
The website is primarily intended to provide information and facilitate communication. It should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Our Commitment to Privacy
POMGEN recognises that privacy is particularly important in a healthcare environment.
Information concerning an individual's health, medical history, treatment, diagnosis, medication or other healthcare circumstances can be highly sensitive.
We therefore seek to handle personal information responsibly and only collect information that is reasonably necessary for legitimate Hospital, healthcare, administrative, communication, legal, regulatory or public-service purposes.
POMGEN is committed to responsible handling of personal information and recognising the importance of privacy in healthcare.
Information We May Collect
Depending on how you use the website, POMGEN may collect information that you voluntarily provide to us.
3.1 Contact Information
This may include:
- Full name
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Postal address
- Organisation or employer
- Preferred method of contact
3.2 Enquiry Information
If you contact POMGEN through an online form, email or other communication channel, we may collect:
- The subject of your enquiry
- Your message
- Information you voluntarily provide
- Supporting documents or attachments
- Details necessary to respond to your enquiry
3.3 Appointment Information
Where online appointment or appointment-enquiry functionality is provided, information may include:
- Name
- Contact details
- Preferred appointment date
- Requested service or department
- Other information necessary to process the appointment request
Please do not submit unnecessary medical or highly sensitive information through a general website contact form.
Health Information
Health information is particularly sensitive.
If you voluntarily provide health-related information through the POMGEN website, POMGEN will seek to handle that information appropriately and only for the purpose for which it was provided or another legitimate healthcare, administrative or legal purpose.
Examples may include:
- Information concerning a patient's condition
- Symptoms
- Medical history
- Treatment information
- Appointment information
- Referral information
- Healthcare service requirements
The public website is not intended to replace secure clinical systems. Where medical information is required, POMGEN may direct you to an appropriate secure communication or healthcare channel.
Information Automatically Collected
When you visit the POMGEN website, certain technical information may be automatically collected.
- IP address
- Browser type
- Device type
- Operating system
- Screen resolution
- Website pages visited
- Date and time of access
- Referring website
- Approximate geographic information
- Website interaction information
- Technical error information
This information may be used for website administration, security, troubleshooting, performance monitoring and improving the website.
How We Use Your Information
POMGEN may use information collected through the website for legitimate purposes including:
Healthcare and Patient Support
- Responding to healthcare-related enquiries
- Facilitating appointment enquiries
- Providing information about Hospital services
- Directing people to appropriate departments
Communication
- Responding to enquiries
- Providing requested information
- Communicating Hospital announcements
- Responding to feedback
Website Improvement
- Improving website navigation
- Identifying technical problems
- Understanding website usage
- Improving accessibility
- Improving website content
- Improving user experience
Security
- Detecting suspicious activity
- Preventing unauthorised access
- Investigating security incidents
- Protecting Hospital systems
- Maintaining website integrity
We Do Not Sell Personal Information
POMGEN does not intend to sell personal information collected through its website to third parties.
Personal information will not be provided to another organisation for unrelated commercial purposes without an appropriate lawful basis or your consent where consent is required.
Disclosure of Personal Information
POMGEN may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary for legitimate purposes.
This may include disclosure to:
- Appropriate Hospital departments
- Healthcare professionals involved in providing care
- Government agencies
- Health authorities
- Service providers supporting Hospital operations
- Information technology providers
- Security providers
- Professional advisers
- Legal representatives
- Regulators or authorities where required by law
Disclosure Required by Law
POMGEN may disclose information where required or authorised by applicable law, court order, regulatory requirement or other lawful authority.
This may include circumstances involving:
- Legal proceedings
- Public health requirements
- Serious safety concerns
- Investigation of suspected unlawful activity
- Regulatory requirements
- Protection of patients, staff or members of the public
Children's Privacy
POMGEN provides healthcare services to children and young people.
We recognise that information concerning children requires particular care.
Parents, guardians or authorised representatives may contact POMGEN regarding information relating to a child where they have appropriate authority to do so.
Information About Other People
You should not provide POMGEN with personal information about another individual unless you are authorised to provide that information.
This includes information about:
- A family member
- A patient
- A child
- An employee
- A colleague
Data Security
POMGEN takes reasonable steps to protect information against:
- Unauthorised access
- Unauthorised disclosure
- Loss
- Misuse
- Alteration
- Destruction
Security measures may include access controls, password protection, website security controls, secure hosting, software updates, monitoring, backups and administrative procedures.
No website or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Email Communications
If you contact POMGEN by email, your email address and the contents of your message may be retained for the purpose of responding to your enquiry and managing Hospital communications.
Email is not necessarily a secure method for communicating sensitive health information.
External Websites
The POMGEN website may contain links to external websites.
- Government websites
- Health organisations
- Educational institutions
- Partner organisations
- Social media platforms
- Healthcare resources
POMGEN is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of external websites.
Photographs and Videos
The Hospital may take photographs or record video during:
- Hospital events
- Public awareness activities
- Community programs
- Training activities
- Official ceremonies
- Health campaigns
- Media events
Where an individual is identifiable, POMGEN will seek appropriate permission or otherwise rely on an appropriate lawful basis where required.
Website Analytics
POMGEN may use website analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with the website.
Analytics may help us understand:
- Which pages are most frequently visited
- How visitors navigate the website
- Website performance
- General visitor trends
- Technical problems
Data Retention
POMGEN will retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by applicable laws, regulations, healthcare requirements, government requirements or administrative requirements.
Different categories of information may have different retention periods.
Clinical and patient records may be subject to separate Hospital recordkeeping and healthcare requirements.
Access to Personal Information
Subject to applicable laws, policies and reasonable verification requirements, you may request access to personal information that POMGEN holds about you.
A request may need to include sufficient information to:
- Identify you
- Identify the information requested
- Verify your identity
- Explain the nature of the request
Correction of Personal Information
If you believe that personal information held by POMGEN is inaccurate, incomplete or outdated, you may contact us and request that the information be corrected.
You may be asked to provide reasonable evidence supporting the requested correction.
Privacy Complaints
If you believe that POMGEN has mishandled your personal information, you may lodge a privacy complaint.
Your complaint should include:
- Your name and contact details
- A description of the issue
- Relevant dates
- The information involved
- Supporting documentation
- The outcome you are seeking
Website Security and Fraud
Users should be aware of fraudulent websites, emails or messages pretending to represent POMGEN.
POMGEN will not normally request passwords, banking PINs or other confidential security credentials through an unsolicited email or website message.
If you receive a suspicious communication claiming to be from POMGEN, verify it using official Hospital contact information.
Third-Party Service Providers
The POMGEN website may use third-party services to support functions such as:
- Website hosting
- Email delivery
- Analytics
- Security
- Online forms
- Maps
- Video
- Social media
- Appointment systems
- Newsletter distribution
These providers may process certain information on behalf of POMGEN.
International Data Transfers
Some third-party technology or hosting providers may operate systems outside Papua New Guinea.
Where personal information is transferred, stored or processed outside Papua New Guinea, POMGEN should consider the applicable legal, contractual, security and privacy requirements associated with that transfer.
Medical Emergencies
The POMGEN website is not an emergency medical service.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, do not rely on a website contact form, email or online enquiry.
Accuracy of Website Information
POMGEN seeks to ensure that information published on its website is accurate and current.
However, hospital services, visiting hours, contact information, clinical services, operational arrangements and other information may change.
POMGEN does not guarantee that all website information will always be complete, current or free from error.
Website Accessibility
POMGEN is committed to making its website accessible and usable by as many people as reasonably possible.
We seek to improve accessibility through:
- Clear navigation
- Readable typography
- Appropriate colour contrast
- Descriptive links
- Alternative text for images
- Responsive design
- Accessible forms
Changes to This Privacy Policy
POMGEN may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
Changes may be made to reflect:
- Changes to Hospital services
- Changes to website functionality
- Changes to technology
- Changes to legal requirements
- Changes to privacy practices
- Changes to third-party services
The updated policy will be published on this page.
Contact Us About Privacy
If you have questions, requests or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please contact Port Moresby General Hospital.
Port Moresby
Papua New Guinea
When contacting us about privacy, please use the subject:
Privacy EnquiryImportant Notice Regarding Medical Information
The POMGEN website is primarily an information and communication platform.
Please do not submit confidential medical records, passwords, financial information or other highly sensitive information through ordinary website forms unless POMGEN specifically instructs you to do so through an appropriate secure system.
Your Privacy Matters
POMGEN is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, security and appropriate handling of personal information entrusted to the Hospital.
Port Moresby General Hospital Better Health | Better Lives
Social Media
POMGEN may maintain social media accounts or provide links to social media platforms such as:
Interactions with these platforms are subject to the privacy policies and terms of those platforms.
Do not publish confidential patient or medical information on social media.