The Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) was proclaimed on December 11, 1997. It was the first legislation of its kind in Canada designed specifically to provide access to information rights and protection of privacy rights concerning personal health information.

The Act applies to "trustees": health professionals, health care facilities, public bodies and health services agencies that collect or maintain personal health information. The Act governs an individual's access to his or her own personal health information held by trustees and sets out requirements that trustees must follow to protect the privacy of personal health information. This section of the web site contains documents and information pertaining to PHIA.

If you are unfamiliar with access and privacy legislation, you may wish to begin by reading about the Principles of Access and Privacy Legislation, which outlines the values and principles underlying most access and privacy legislation in Canada and around the world. Also, our section About The Personal Health Information Act gives more detailed information regarding this legislation.

Our Reports and Publications section provides material that is directly related to part or all of PHIA. Our Annual Reports also contain important information about the role and activities of the Manitoba Ombudsman in relation to PHIA.

If you wish to see all of the documents available, you can go the Reports and Publications section.