Yan Chai Hospital has lost a batch of backup floppy discs containing 3,000 medical record applicants' names and identity card numbers.

The discs serve as backup copies storing the processing log sheet on medical report applications dated January 16, 2005, to January 15, 2006. They went missing during the encryption process and the hospital management was informed of the incident on June 30. The files do not carry medical information.

Meanwhile, 23 acknowledgement receipts containing applicants' names, ID numbers, addresses and dates of receipt of medical information were also lost.

Although a thorough investigation and search have been conducted in the last few days, the materials cannot be located. The hospital has abandoned the search and reported the case to Police and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data.

The hospital has so far received no enquiries related to the leakage. It will review the work procedure and the management and security of all data storage devices.