There are several issues surrounding the Digital Health Record (DSN Dossier santé numérique) that are concerning the Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Gilles Bélanger. He will meet with Santé Québec next week to discuss whether or not it would be preferable to postpone its deployment, which is scheduled for May 9.
“We will have meetings next week, and maybe we will decide to postpone, maybe not,” said Bélanger on Friday, specifying that he has meetings every week with Santé Québec.
“My colleague [Health Minister] Sonia Bélanger and I are here to provide information on the issues, risks, and possible solutions. And if we don’t have answers to all our questions, our recommendation will be not to proceed on May 9,” explained Bélanger in a press scrum on the sidelines of the Première ligne en santé (PLS) congress.
Erika Bially, Vice-President of Information Technology at Santé Québec, who was also present at the PLS congress, was firm on the May 9 date. She maintains that everything is in place to launch the DSN safely.
Minister Bélanger is particularly concerned about the protection of Quebecers’ health data, since an American company, Epic Systems, is in charge of implementing the DSN.
“We will ask each ministry or organization, when they undertake a digital transformation, to demonstrate to us that sensitive data is protected,” he argued.
Bially noted that data from the Quebec health network, including patient data, will be hosted in Canada.
The DSN is a major project that will transform the healthcare system by moving away from paper and consolidating computer systems. All patient clinical data will be accessible in one place, greatly facilitating the work of physicians and other healthcare professionals.
—The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
