NIB chief executive Mark Fitzgibbon is hoping the private health insurance fund can get permission from its 1.5 million customers to access their digital health record, despite mounting privacy and security concerns.

In an interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Fitzgibbon said Australians opting out of the federal government’s digital My Health Record system were preventing health providers from accessing vital information that could be helpful in a medical emergency.

"If I get a hit by a bus tomorrow, I want the hospital to have my [digital] record," Mr Fitzgibbon said.

NIB CEO Mark Fitzgibbon says the benefits of My Health Record outweigh the risks. Credit:MARINA NEIL

The system creates a shared digital medical record for every Australian unless they opt out in a three-month period that started on Monday.