Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé is vowing to crack down on doctors who have slowed down the implementation of the Digital Health Record (DSN).
Dubé made the statement late Friday evening during the fast-track adoption of special legislation imposing a new payment system on doctors and putting an end to their pressure tactics.
The minister was responding to a question from Québec solidaire MNA Vincent Marissal, who wanted to know whether refusing to participate in the implementation of the DSN constituted “punishable” action in his view.
“Doctors who refuse to participate in a pilot project because the chosen product is defective and the government has not provided adequate training — is that part of a punishable professional slowdown?” he asked.
“I think I know the case you are referring to, and I think that measures will be taken for past actions that do not date back to the period we are discussing at the moment,” replied Dubé.
Marissal then asked him for clarification, saying he did not understand what the minister was getting at.
“What I am saying is that, at this point, the pressure tactics that have been used to force the DSN to shut down will be met with specific action,” Dubé continued.
“There will be other actions taken specifically on the DSN,” he repeated.
On Oct. 2, Santé Québec announced the postponement of the DSN pilot projects that were planned for this fall in the CIUSSSes of the Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec.
Angered, Dubé then stated several times in the National Assembly that the doctors’ pressure tactics were entirely responsible for the DSN being put on hold.
“That is the only reason why the issue has been postponed,” he said on Oct. 7, referring to the medical federations’ decision to boycott work meetings related to the DSN.
On Monday, the minister’s office attempted to downplay Dubé’s comments on Friday evening.
According to the minister’s press secretary, Catherine Barbeau, there is no question of punishing “past actions.”
“Pressure tactics aimed at delaying the rollout of the DSN are among the actions covered by the law,” she told The Canadian Press.
“The goal remains to get everything back to normal quickly, without the need for sanctions.
“The DSN is essential for health-care professionals to have the right information at the right time, which allows for better-organized work and better-coordinated care,” she added.
‘Witch hunt’
However, according to Marissal, Dubé wants to launch a widespread “witch hunt.”
“I found his tone threatening. It was like, ‘There’s a new sheriff in town, we’re going to catch them and we’re going to punish them,’” he said in an interview on Monday morning.
Liberal health spokesperson Marc Tanguay pointed out that the DSN was already experiencing problems even before the doctors took action.
“It was already poorly organized,” he said in a telephone interview, recalling the mistake made by the Department of Health, which had forgotten to budget for staff training costs.
“What is extremely worrying is that it has given itself excessive powers to crack down on doctors, rather than working on its own incompetence in delivering anything,” he said.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
