Sarah Courtney says person responsible should be "subject to full force of the law"

A police investigation and Health Department internal review are continuing into the massive security breach in which the personal and sensitive details of Tasmanians who called an ambulance from November were made available on a website.

Ms Courtney was unable to say who she believed was liable for the breach but made it clear laws would be strengthened if need be.

She said it was the "wrong thing" for anyone to do.

"It is my strong view that anyone who wilfully disseminates private information should be subject to the full force of the law," Ms Courtney said.

"Further to this, I have requested that the Secretary of the Department of Health ensure every possible step is taken as quickly as possible to minimise the risk of identifying patients through pager transmissions in the future.

"I am advised Ambulance Tasmania has taken steps to strengthen operational protocols relating to the transmission of information via pager, and is engaging with the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management to identify additional strategies."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ms Courtney said Tasmania was not unique in having private patient information released publicly.

"I know that there have been challenges with other jurisdictions, so this is not unique to Tasmania," she said.

"I understand that other Australian jurisdictions have had similar issues with operational information being broadcast without authority or permission and have asked the Department to engage with those jurisdictions on possible solutions.

"I acknowledge this is distressing for those affected and I have instructed that all possible short and long-term measures to address this issue be pursued, including both ICT system upgrades and legislative changes, where necessary."

It is believed the information is no longer available on the website.

The data included the addresses of patients, their condition, HIV status, age and gender. It showed up on a website appearing to be serving as Ambulance Tasmania's paging system, and was being updated in real-time.

It also included Tasmania Fire Service call-outs.