The Statistical Institute of Quebec (ISQ) will allow public researchers to have expanded access to the administrative data of Quebecers, announced Monday the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard.
This information, depersonalized, will be available to allow cross-analysis that will provide a more accurate portrait for the development of public policies, said Mr. Girard, during the announcement in Montreal.
The ISQ will serve as a window for researchers to obtain data from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education. .
Secondly, those of Revenu Québec, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Immigration will be added. Mr. Girard expects significant benefits that will be used by the government.
“Our researchers will make us discover all sorts of things that we don’t know today,” he said.
In 2019, the ISQ had already received the mandate to facilitate access to administrative data for scientific and non-commercial research purposes. Monday’s announcement increases the responsibilities of the ISQ.
Present at the announcement, Health Minister Christian Dubé said that expanding access to data will help to better understand demand for health care.
“What gets measured gets better,” he said.
According to the Minister, the results of the research that can be done will also be used to improve health prevention.
“In health, we are very good at understanding supply, but we have a very poor understanding of demand,” he said.
Mr. Dubé recalled that at the same time, Bill 19 on access to clinical data, which died on the order paper with the end of the legislature, is complementary with the enlargement announced for scientific purposes.
“We’ll come back to it,” he said. Bill 19 works much more with health management data, which is not at all what we are talking about here. »
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