Canada: Prince Edward Island: Auditor raises security concerns about private information in e-health
Younker outlines his security concerns in his 2010 report made public earlier this week. That report also highlighted serious concerns about delays in implementing the program and significant cost overruns.
The program wasn’t supposed to cost taxpayers a dime. But costs have ballooned to more than $15 million for taxpayers.
A large section of the 160-page report examined the Electronic Health Records Initiative, a project to transfer health records from paper to computers, and allow health professionals anywhere in the country to pull up your personal health records.
Read more: Canada: Prince Edward Island: Plan for e-health records coming: Bertram
Today, the United Kingdom's National Health Service is a leader in converting its electronic health records into a usable database for medical research. In Canada, we currently lack this capacity.
No, I'm serious!
Like so many British Columbians I have this love/hate relationship with government, did I say love? No, that is not right, let's make that tolerate/hate relationship. Of all the things our government does, the thing I tolerate the most is the direction our government is taking in online services and e-government.
The government is like any other organization, it needs to embrace technological change and use it to be more competitive, or efficient.
Read more: Canada: Online tax filing a useful service this time of year
“The young people are excited about it,” said Western James Bay Telecom Network president Leo Friday. “In the evening, kids are chatting to each other through Facebook. A lot of news came out of it. Where I live in Moose Factory, I check it sometimes – I know what is going on in Moose Factory and in Attawapiskat. It’s faster than Wawatay.”
Friday said health services would be improved with the completion of the new fibre optic and wireless Western James Bay Telecom Network, officially launched Feb. 23 with the symbolic splicing of a fibre optic cable to connect the three communities of Kashechewan, Fort Albany and Attawapiskat to each other and the World Wide Web.
Read more: Canada: Nunavut: High-speed Internet arrives on James Bay