Conservative Members of Parliament are urging the auditor general to investigate the federal government’s management of a $250 million initiative that is reportedly slated for cancellation next month. Launched in 2017, PrescribeIT aimed to modernize the process through which doctors transmit prescriptions to pharmacies and phase out outdated technologies like fax machines.
Canada Health Infoway, the non-profit organization overseeing PrescribeIT with federal funding, has announced that the program will conclude on May 29 as it shifts toward an open-standards approach for electronic prescriptions. Conservative MP Dan Mazier, the party’s health critic, criticized the lack of public awareness surrounding PrescribeIT, alleging that the government deliberately kept it under wraps.
Reports from The Globe and Mail, highlighted by Mazier, indicated that less than five percent of prescriptions are currently sent using PrescribeIT. Mazier raised concerns about the escalating costs of the project, which started with a $40 million budget in 2016 but has surged to over $300 million in a decade.
Mazier accused the government of obstructing the release of documents related to PrescribeIT at the committee level, alleging a delay tactic until parliamentary committees are restructured to align with the Liberals’ majority. The fate of intellectual property associated with the project is also under scrutiny, with questions raised about taxpayers’ funds being used to develop software that may not be owned by the government.
Bloc Québécois MP Maxime Blanchette-Joncas supported the Conservatives’ call for an audit by the auditor general, citing a pattern of mismanagement and excessive costs in IT contracts awarded by Ottawa. In response, Health Minister Marjorie Michel’s office emphasized that PrescribeIT was intended to be self-sustaining but was discontinued due to low adoption rates, in line with the government’s commitment to prudent financial management.
Telus Health, the company contracted to design PrescribeIT, asserted its ownership of a significant portion of the program’s intellectual property, stating that its involvement is crucial for the system’s operation and maintenance. The decision to terminate PrescribeIT was justified by the government as a fiscally responsible action to ensure taxpayer value.
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A pharmacist counts pills. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press)
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Bloc Québécois MP Maxime Blanchette-Joncas supported the Conservatives’ call for an investigation. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)