Quebec tables bills to make sharing health information more efficient
Quebec wants to promote information sharing between patients, their caregivers, managers and researchers, both public and private.
Health Minister Christian Dubé tabled Bill 19, described as a "mammoth" bill, on Friday, which amends 27 laws in Quebec.
He said the bill is part of a strategy to transform the health-care system to make it more "efficient and humane."
If passed, Bill 19 would remove barriers to information sharing. A patient would not only be able to see his or her own information but also know who has seen it.
Dubé also wants managers to have access to 'timely' information so they can make the right choices, which he said was a weakness in the system during the pandemic.
"We saw that ... particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, the lack of real-time information was critical," Dubé said in a news conference. "There is information that we received two or three weeks late, and I think we can't go through that again. We really need to catch up on the information gathering."
The minister aims to simplify access to information for researchers in the public system, in order to promote developing innovative treatments.
For researchers in the private sector, Quebec wants to create an organization, a "trusted third party," responsible for receiving and processing their requests.
A patient could refuse to have his or her data accessible to external researchers.
PROTECTING PERSONAL DATA
Quebec said it is committing to keeping citizens informed of any anticipated uses of their information, in addition to applying mechanisms to protect that information. The province would penalize anyone who accesses documents without the right to do so.
A departmental health information officer would be appointed to be accountable for decisions made in relation to access granted. The Access to Information Commission would have the power to conduct investigations.
At a news conference on Friday, Quebec Solidaire health spokesperson Vincent Marissal expressed concern that personal information could be used for private purposes.
"We will be against any form of commercialization or even sharing of personal information that belongs to Quebecers," he said.
Dubé said the sale of health or social services information will be prohibited. He also gave himself one year after the adoption of the bill to make the changes provided for in it.
This is the third bill in a few weeks that the Legault government has introduced related to health care, following bills about doctors' pay and youth protection.
"These are three bills that the government says it is determined to support, but it (...) is going to have difficulty carrying out the consultations, doing the clause-by-clause study before the October 3, 2022 election," said Liberal party house leader André Fortin.
"For us, the government has put itself in a rather precarious position at this level."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 3, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.