Aussies left fuming as My Health Record phone lines go into meltdown
Those hoping to opt out of the government’s My Health Record initiative have been left furious after having zero access to phone lines due to a technical meltdown.
With the opt out deadline originally ending tomorrow, the Senate has come together to extend the due date until January 31, 2019 after many people missed the chance of removing their name from the scheme.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson proposed the idea to the Senate and it didn’t take long for the government to agree with her sentiments.
The news is welcomed by Australian’s around the country who were unable to opt out this morning.
@MyHealthRec This is a shambles. I can't opt out and the phone lines are crashing long before being able to speak to anyone. pic.twitter.com/scWEnlhc4L
— Daniel Bevan (@DanielCBevan) 13 November 2018
According to Adelaide resident, Ben, he and his wife had attempted to contact the phone line for days before the due date but had no luck.
“My wife has been on hold for an hour and it has just dropped out,” he said to news.com.au.
“I’ve been on hold a couple times and it has dropped out, including this morning. I was on hold for 15-20 minutes before it dropped out.”
Meanwhile, others claim that they received an automated message as soon as they called, saying “your call cannot be completed at this time” and asked those trying to get in touch to call back later.
A spokesman from the Australian Digital Health Agency denied the reports saying that the system was not operating.
“The opt out website and the My Health Record Help Line are both operational. We are experiencing high demand, which has slowed the system down, and some people have experienced difficulties opting out this morning. These issues have now been resolved,” he said.
“The Agency anticipated higher call volumes and has increased the number of help line operators available to support callers.
“A call back feature has been enabled allowing people to leave their details for a customer service representative to return their call and process their request to opt out.
“If a person leaves their details for a call back, the help line will return the call over the coming days to opt the person out. No record will be created for individuals in this circumstance.”
But despite these statements, Ben and one of his sons had first tried to opt out online through the website provided and were successful, but when it came to his wife and other son, they received an error message.
“We’ve been trying for a couple of weeks (to get through on the phone line) but particularly in the last few days,” he said. “It’s obviously very frustrating.”
And it wasn’t only Ben who was frustrated by the whole process, as many others have complained about the same thing, saying they’re having issues getting through to the phones.
Sydneysider Anton Francis told news.com.au that he’s been calling the number provided at least seven times since 10:08am this morning, but still hasn’t been able to reach the other side.
Another resident Elena experienced the same problems as she tried calling “quite a few times” and also attempted to get through on the website but it “just did not work”.
“It is unbelievable how disorganised this process is,” she said.
“The online system does not work and when you try to phone, it just hangs up on you. There is no automated message or any sort of system in place that can cope with demand.
“I’m really against my records being on the system and I am unable to opt out. This is just ridiculous and makes me feel angry and helpless and not in control of my information.”
Around 4 per cent of the population have already opted out of the controversial health system to date and it is expected that 17 million Australians will be automatically added when the deadline passes.
If you wish to opt out, visit www.myhealthrecord.gov.au, or call 1800 723 471.