The federal health department has taken to monitoring social media for complaints and commentary about the long-delayed roll-out of the national My Health Record program.

First launched by the then-Labor government in 2012, the electronic health record system was meant to create a universal online health record for every Australian, to help coordinate patient care between GPs, specialists and hospital staff.

A new public service social media policy has been described as 'overreach' by public service union boss Nadine Flood.

But four years after it was introduced, the scheme's national roll-out has been slowed by a lack of public take-up and health practitioners not getting involved as a result, as the cost of the scheme has ballooned to more than $1 billion.