The National Assembly validated Friday evening the creation of an "information system" to identify people infected with the coronavirus and their contacts, despite serious concerns in the opposition over a breach of medical confidentiality and for the Protection of private life. After a lively debate lasting several hours, the deputies voted by show of hands at first reading of sensitive article 6 of the bill extending the state of health emergency.
It provides for the launch of an "information system" , linked to health insurance, "intended to identify infected persons" and "to collect information" on people in contact with them, so that they can 'isolate if necessary. The "brigades" or "guardian angels" , including agents of the Social Security will be responsible for making up the list of cases contact.
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The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, pleaded before the deputies the "need" for this device as part of the strategy aimed at "breaking the chains of contamination" , while the deconfinement begins on Monday. Assuring, in view of the concerns expressed by certain elected officials, that it is " not Armageddon" nor "Matrix" , he added that it was a question of "putting a brick" in an already existing file of the Health Insurance. It was necessary to legislate in particular “because until now the cut that is made in medical confidentiality” , for example for long-term affections, “concerned only sick people” , which is not necessarily the case for people who have been in contact with a patient, he said. "This is the exemption, but it is essential because otherwise there is no tracing, " he insisted, stressing that the article was unrelated to the controversial StopCovid application.
But elected officials of all stripes, including in the majority, expressed fears in particular about the respect of medical confidentiality. Like Emilie Cariou (LREM), Florence Provendier expressed her concern about "undermining the fundamental principles of medical ethics" . Olivier Véran replied that "a dike system persists" , the sharing of the secret being "inside the system. If you consider that epidemiological monitoring (...) is akin to denunciation, do not vote for this text! ” , he also launched.
"What we don't want is a file society , " said Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI), while Sébastien Jumel (PCF) expressed concern about the "fair balance between legitimate health concerns and respect for fundamental rights ” . Valérie Rabault (PS) considered that putting non sick people in such a file was "a first" , pointing out "an incredible breach in French law" . For LR, Philippe Gosselin also mentioned “a breach in medical confidentiality” , Pascal Brindeau (UDI-Agir) judging that the article also infringes “on private life” .
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The deputies retained several contributions of the Senate of which a control body and - in an improved version - the limitation of the perimeter of the collected data, to those concerning the infection by the virus. They also made several clarifications, including the fact that the sharing of information system data would last nine months, a possible extension to be validated by Parliament.
A government amendment will also allow the remuneration of professionals participating in the collection of data, in particular doctors, whereas the deputies had prohibited any remuneration in committee. Another provides that pharmacists will have access to the information system.
Via a PS amendment, the Assembly further clarified that persons having access to the data would be subject to professional secrecy.
