Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Taxpayers Bore Cost Of Inefficient Health Data System That Needs Review: Audit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 13 Aug, 2015 02:07 PM
    VICTORIA — British Columbia's auditor general says the province's $115-million public health data system is "riddled with deficiencies" and the technology may already be outdated.
     
    Carol Bellringer says the system, called Panorama, has been defective from the start, burdensome to use and needs ongoing maintenance at a cost of $14 million a year.
     
    Panorama was implemented after the SARS outbreak in 2003, when an independent review recommended that Canada invest in a public health system.
     
    Bellringer says it was expected to improve management of communicable disease outbreaks and immunization programs across the country but Panaroma was five years late in B.C., compared to other jurisdictions.
     
    She's also concerned that taxpayers bore the financial risk when the Health Ministry renegotiated a contract with IBM after it failed to deliver on its original terms.
     
    Bellringer is calling for an independent review to assess the ongoing suitability of Panorama, but Health Minister Terry Lake says a review is already underway and the project won't be scrapped.
     
    Lake says that while Panaroma isn't perfect, health experts agree it's the best system to track data across the province.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Abbotsford Police Issue Public Warning About Sex Offender James Conway

    Abbotsford Police Issue Public Warning About Sex Offender James Conway
    Forty-year-old James Conway is six feet four inches tall, weighs 240 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes

    Abbotsford Police Issue Public Warning About Sex Offender James Conway

    Man Attacked By A Group Of Men Outside Metrotown Shopping Centre In Burnaby

    Man Attacked By A Group Of Men Outside Metrotown Shopping Centre In Burnaby
    The victim suffered serious head injuries and was rushed to hospital after the attack just outside The Bay before 2 a.m.

    Man Attacked By A Group Of Men Outside Metrotown Shopping Centre In Burnaby

    Canadian Pacific Crews Dealing With Coal Train Derailment Near Sparwood, B.C.

    Canadian Pacific Crews Dealing With Coal Train Derailment Near Sparwood, B.C.
    SPARWOOD, B.C. — A Canadian Pacific Railway freight train carrying coal has derailed near the southeastern British Columbia community of Sparwood.

    Canadian Pacific Crews Dealing With Coal Train Derailment Near Sparwood, B.C.

    'Bare With Us': Ontario's 'Bare-Breasted Sisters' Host Topless Protest Rally In Waterloo, Ont.

    'Bare With Us': Ontario's 'Bare-Breasted Sisters' Host Topless Protest Rally In Waterloo, Ont.
    The sisters say they're hoping their "Bare With Us" rally at Waterloo Town Square will educate people — and police — about women's right to be topless if they so choose

    'Bare With Us': Ontario's 'Bare-Breasted Sisters' Host Topless Protest Rally In Waterloo, Ont.

    Ontario App Helps Users Find Beaches With The Safes

    Ontario App Helps Users Find Beaches With The Safes
    TORONTO — Canadians looking to take the plunge in safe, clean waters this long weekend can use an app to scour beaches across the country with the best and worst water quality.

    Ontario App Helps Users Find Beaches With The Safes

    52 Kilos Of Cocaine Seized At Ambassador Bridge In Windsor, Ont.: CBSA

    52 Kilos Of Cocaine Seized At Ambassador Bridge In Windsor, Ont.: CBSA
    WINDSOR, Ont. — Canada Border Services Agency says its officers have made a major cocaine bust at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont.

    52 Kilos Of Cocaine Seized At Ambassador Bridge In Windsor, Ont.: CBSA