Contentious proposed laws to create a centralised Victorian health database are set for parliamentary scrutiny, with the opposition and crossbench pushing for changes.
The Health Legislation Amendment (Information Sharing) Bill is expected to be debated in the upper house and voted on this week.
The bill, which has been revived after lapsing following the November state election, would enable public hospitals and other health services to more easily share patient information through a centralised database.
Unauthorised access to the database by medical staff carries a proposed maximum sentence of two years in prison.
But domestic violence survivors, civil liberty groups and cyber experts fear personal information could fall into the wrong hands, despite the government pledging controls on access and security.
Liberal Democrats MP David Limbrick wants patients to have the choice to opt out of the system, while the opposition is calling for an opt-out scheme similar to the federal government's My Health Record.
The Greens will seek to negotiate with the government to enhance privacy protections, set up an independent review of the system and guarantee patients can obtain their health information and learn who has accessed it.
"Victoria's public hospitals have needed this for decades, so it's good to see the government having another go at fixing it," said the party's acting health spokesman Tim Read.
"But trust and communication are critical to the delivery of safe and effective care. Patients need to have confidence their information will be protected."
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the government would not amend the bill to include an opt-out scheme, but Labor will need the support of at least six crossbenchers for it to pass the upper house.
Four Greens MPs sit in the legislative council.
Hospitals and public health services already share information and patients would be able to obtain their medical records under the legislation, including who accessed it and when, the government said.
