Understanding Your Health Rights Under GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the strongest privacy frameworks in the world. While it applies to all personal data, it has especially important implications for your health information. Whether you visit a hospital, use a health app, or consult a doctor online through a platform like Heliodoc, your medical data is classified as “special category data” and receives the highest level of protection.

What Counts as Health Data?

Under GDPR, health data includes any information related to your physical or mental health. This covers medical records, prescriptions, test results, diagnoses, treatment plans, insurance information, and even data collected by fitness trackers or health apps. If it reveals something about your health status, it is protected.

Your Key Rights

Right of Access: You can request a copy of all health data a provider holds about you. They must respond within 30 days and provide the information in a readable format.

Right to Rectification: If any of your medical records are inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request corrections.

Right to Erasure: In certain circumstances, you can ask for your health data to be deleted. However, healthcare providers may retain records when required by law or for ongoing treatment.

Right to Data Portability: You can request your health records in a machine-readable format and transfer them to another provider. This is particularly useful when switching doctors or moving to a new country.

Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask a provider to limit how they use your data while a dispute is being resolved or when you object to certain processing activities.

How Digital Platforms Comply

Reputable telemedicine platforms implement robust safeguards: end-to-end encryption for video consultations, secure cloud storage with access controls, and strict data retention policies. At Heliodoc, every consultation, prescription, and lab result is stored in your encrypted health record, accessible only to you and the doctors you authorize.

What You Should Do

Know your rights. Ask your healthcare providers how they store and protect your data. Choose platforms that are transparent about their privacy practices and comply with GDPR. Review your privacy settings regularly and exercise your right to access your records.

Your health data is among the most sensitive information you have. GDPR ensures it stays protected — but staying informed is your best first line of defense.