The Senate Select Investigative Committee Wednesday questioned officials of the Department of Health and the Chief Information Officer in the Governor’s Office about why travelers are having to register on a new system by the Department of Health, and what has happened to the data that was provided under the Talofa Pass System.
Witnesses were the Acting Director of Health Vesi Fautanu Jr., Dr Elizabeth Lauvao, Epidemiologist Scott Anesi, Chris Magalei, DOH IT Manager and Ray Tulafono, the Chief Information Officer in the Governor’s Office.
According to Tulafono, DataHouse Inc., the company that operated the TalofaPass System has turned over the bulk of the data but there’s still a portion that they are trying to migrate over so that it can be used by the Department of Health.
He said they’re working with the Department of Health and DataHouse to transfer all accounts and information from DataHouse to the government.
The Chief Information Officer also explained that 6 months ago the Department of Health began working on its own registration system for travelers to prepare in the event that the contract with DataHouse is not renewed.
The contract with DataHouse ended August 30.
The DOH Epidemiologist Scott Anesi told the hearing that the contract with DataHouse was between the company and the Governor’s Office and DOH was not a part of it. So DoH does not have direct access to the Datahouse data.
He explained that the DataHouse system does not include manual forms collected by DOH, and the data that was obtained during repatriation is different from the data that was registered on the DataHouse system.
Anesi said that the data that has been turned over to DOH are names of travelers and the dates they traveled. Because DOH does not have direct access to the DataHouse system, when they need information they have to go through Tulafono, who then makes a request to DataHouse then the data comes back through that same channel. He said because the information is sensitive the process is long and cumbersome.
Anesi explained to KHJ News after the hearing that the volume of data that was collected by DataHouse is enormous and it cannot be transitioned in bulk. So it has to be broken up and migrated in sections. He said the Amazon Web Service not only stores the data but will put it in a format where the information can be transferred securely.
Acting Director of Health Vesi Fautanu said that Health Director Motusa Tuileama Nua is meeting with Hawaiian Air officials in Honolulu concerning the registration of travelers on the DOH website travel.doh.as
An information fact sheet that the DOH officials distributed at the hearing explained why the traveler health declaration system is needed. The main purpose is it allows health authorities to track and monitor travelers coming from regions with outbreaks or high transmission of infectious diseases. By collecting health information such as symptoms, travel history and possible exposure to infectious diseases, authorities can identify at risk individuals and implement quarantine, isolation or testing measures to prevent the spread of diseases within country.
