Quebec invests $95M in health record training

QUEBEC CITY – Quebec is injecting an additional $95 million into the Digital Health Record (DSN) managed by Santé Québec. The decision was ratified by the Council of Ministers last week.

These additional funds will be used to train and support healthcare network staff so they can master the new tools, the office of Health Minister Christian Dubé (pictured) told The Canadian Press.

Dubé said he had obtained several guarantees from Santé Québec, which is committed to closely monitoring the DSN’s deployment. The organization specifically committed to:

• Strengthen project monitoring mechanisms;
• Strengthen governance committees;
• Collaborate more closely with the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs;
• Hold monthly monitoring committee meetings;
• Jointly monitor performance indicators with stakeholders.

Since the SAAQclic scandal, the government has reportedly increased its vigilance regarding IT projects.

“We said it: there was no question of adding money without the necessary assurances,” Dubé’s office stated in a message sent to The Canadian Press last Thursday.

“The DSN is an essential tool for both physicians and patients. It will reduce paperwork, improve the flow of care, and give patients easy access to their medical information.”

The DSN is intended to centralize all patient clinical data, including appointments and medication prescriptions.

The cost increase is due to an error by the Ministry of Health; Radio-Canada reported in June that the ministry had forgotten to budget for staff training costs.

“We’re not talking about a minor oversight. It’s fundamental, it’s the basis,” Liberal health critic Marc Tanguay said in a written statement Thursday.

“When you launch such a digital project without even thinking about training the people who will use it, it’s not just a mistake, it’s sheer amateurism.

“The result: an additional $95 million paid by Quebecers. Another example of the lack of planning. We’re being poorly managed in Quebec with the Coalition Avenir Québec.”

The DSN rollout will be done in stages; pilot projects are planned this fall in the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec.

However, these projects risk being affected by pressure tactics from medical specialists, who fiercely oppose Dubé’s Bill 106 on physician remuneration.

In January 2024, the Ministry of Health estimated the cost of the DSN at $1.5 billion for all of Quebec.