Privacy Policy

Current as of: 05/11/2025

Introduction

This privacy policy is to provide information to you, the patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used The Vasectomy Doctor, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties. We are committed to protecting the privacy of patient information we collect and to handling your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, cyber security legislation and relevant state and territory privacy legislation (referred to as privacy legislation). The Vasectomy Doctor practices at multiple practices. Please refer to their individual privacy policies for further information. From time to time we may make changes to our policy, processes and systems relating to how we handle your personal information. We will update this Privacy Policy to reflect any changes. Those changes will be available on our website and in the practice. This Privacy Policy also addresses the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies within our practice.

Why and when your consent is necessary

The Vasectomy Doctor will need to collect your personal information to provide healthcare services to you. Our main purpose for collecting, using, holding and sharing your personal information is to manage your health. We also use it for directly related business activities, such as financial claims and payments, practice audits, and business processes (eg staff training). 

What personal information do we collect?

The information we will collect about you includes, but is not limited to:

  • names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
  • medical information including medical history, medications, allergies, adverse events, immunisations, social history, family history and risk factors
  • Medicare number (where available) for identification and claiming purposes
  • Healthcare identifiers
  • Health fund details
  • Information generated or processed through AI-enabled tools used in clinical or administrative contexts.

Dealing with us anonymously

You have the right to deal with us anonymously or under a pseudonym unless it is impracticable for us to do so or unless we are required or authorised by law to only deal with identified individuals.

How do we collect your personal information?

Our practice may collect your personal information in several different ways.

  • When you make your first appointment, the practices attended by The Vasectomy Doctor will collect your personal and demographic information via your registration.
  • During the course of providing medical services, we may collect further personal information.
  • Information can also be collected through electronic transfer of prescriptions (eTP), My Health Record, eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary.
  • We may also collect your personal information when you visit our website, when you send us an email or SMS, telephone us, make an online appointment or communicate with us using social media.

In some circumstances personal information may also be collected from other sources. Often this is because it is not practical or reasonable to collect it from you directly. This may include information from:

  • your guardian or responsible person
  • other involved healthcare providers, such as specialists, allied health professionals, hospitals, community health services and pathology and diagnostic imaging services
  • your health fund, Medicare, or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (as necessary).
  • In limited situations, we may also collect information from other people, such as your relatives or friends.

When, why and with whom do we share your personal information?

The Vasectomy Doctor sometimes share your personal information:

• with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy

  • with other healthcare providers
  • when it is required or authorised by law (eg court subpoenas)
  • when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
  • to assist in locating a missing person
  • to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
  • for the purpose of confidential dispute resolution process
  • when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (eg some diseases require mandatory notification)
  • during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (eg via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).

Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, we will not share personal information with any third party without your consent.

The Vasectomy Doctor will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your consent.

The Vasectomy Doctor will not use your personal information for marketing any of our goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do consent, you may opt out of direct marketing at any time by notifying our practice in writing.

The Vasectomy Doctor may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services we offer to our patients through research and analysis of our patient data. 

The practices attended by The Vasectomy Doctor may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. The information is secure, patients cannot be identified and the information is stored within Australia. You can let the reception staff of the practice in question know if you do not want your information included.

How do we store and protect your personal information?

Your personal information may be stored at the practices attended by The Vasectomy Doctor in various forms, but mainly in electronic form. Please refer to the individual practice for the policy of storage and protection of personal information. The Vasectomy Doctor complies with the privacy policy of the practices that are attended.

How can you access and correct your personal information at our practice?

You have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. The Vasectomy Doctor acknowledges patients may request access to their medical records. Please refer to the privacy policy of the relevant practice for time-frames, fees and communication preferences.

How is your personal information used for research, education, quality improvement and marketing?

We are committed to continuously improving the quality of our services and supporting clinical education. We may use your information in the following ways:

Quality Improvement and Staff Education

We may use patient information for internal audits, staff training, clinical review, and accreditation activities, de-identifiedwhere practicable. These processes help ensure we maintain high standards of care and safety.

Research

From time to time, we may participate in health research projects. If identifiable information is required, we will seek your express consent before sharing your data. You may be contacted by a member of our team to discuss a research opportunity, but you will never be contacted directly by researchers unless you have provided consent. We will only provide identifiable information for research if the project has appropriate ethics approval and meets legal and privacy requirements.

De-identified Data Sharing

We may contribute de-identified health data to health improvement initiatives or registries. This data cannot identify you and is stored securely. If you do not want your data included in these de-identified datasets, please inform our reception staff.

Marketing

We will not use your personal information to market goods or services directly to you without your express consent. If you do provide consent, you may opt out of receiving marketing communications at any time by notifying us in writing or using the unsubscribe function.

How we use Artificial Intelligence

The Vasectomy Doctor may use AI technologies to enhance clinical decision-making, streamline administrative processes, and improve patient engagement. Examples of AI applications include:

  • automated transcription of clinical consultations 
  • AI-assisted triage and appointment scheduling tools
  • AI use of chatbots. 

Governance of AI Use:

  • We use AI tools in a manner consistent with the APPs and relevant ethical standards.
  • Personal information is not used to train AI models unless express consent has been obtained.
  • All outputs generated by AI systems are subject to human review and clinical oversight.
  • No automated decision-making tool is used in this practice.

How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?

We take complaints and concerns regarding privacy seriously. You should express any privacy concerns you may have in writing. We will then attempt to resolve it in accordance with our resolution procedure. 

Our contact details are as follows: 

The Vasectomy Doctor 

68 Channon Street Gympie Qld 4570 

Contact: (07) 5482 8422 

Email: admin@thegympieclinic.com.au 

You may also contact the OAIC. Generally, the OAIC will require you to give them time to respond before they will investigate. For further information visit www.oaic.gov.au or call the OAIC on 1300 363 992.

Privacy and our website

Privacy and our website

The Vasectomy Doctor may collect your personal information our website or social media including the use of website analytics and cookies. Our website runs on the WordPress website platform, which uses cookies. A “cookie” is a small file stored on your computer’s browser, which assists in managing customised settings of the website and delivering content. We collect certain information such as your device type, browser type, IP address and pages you have accessed on our website and on third-party websites. You are not identifiable from such information. You can use the settings in your browser to control how your browser deals with cookies. However, in doing so, you may be unable to access certain pages or content on our website.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of websites that are linked from our website.

Policy review statement

This privacy policy will be reviewed regularly to ensure it is in accordance with any changes that may occur.

Before booking, please answer a few quick questions

If you have answered Yes, please continue to book a vasectomy consultation.
If you have answered No, there is a small chance that a vasectomy is unnecessary for you. It is best to book a bulk-billed consultation with Dr Ranaweera first to discuss your options.

Why do we ask these questions?

If you have never caused a pregnancy, there is a chance that you are infertile. About 1% of men are Azoospermic or in other words, 1 in 100 men that do not have any sperm in their semen. They are able to ejaculate but no sperm is present in the semen – that is they are already “shooting blanks”. It may be wise get a fertility test prior to considering a vasectomy.