Health Minister Mark Holland is optimistic about the role artificial intelligence can play in Canada’s health care system, but says many of its promises will take time to materialize.
Holland hopes that AI tools will help ease the burden on doctors and integrate medical records from disparate providers, but many doctors still don’t send electronic scripts to pharmacies. He said that means expanding digitalization.
In a wide-ranging interview on Dec. 12, ahead of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s bombshell resignation and Friday’s expected cabinet reshuffle, Holland discussed the health-related headlines that dominated 2024 and what’s next. I looked back.
He focused on topics such as medical assistance in dying and food safety. Among his impressions are that Australia’s plan to ban social media for children won’t work here and that Canada won’t accept vaccine skeptic Robert F., whom U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is pushing for health secretary.・I hope that I will be able to find common ground with Kennedy Jr.
Canadian Press: I’d like to ask about Australia’s decision to ban children from social media until they turn 16. Are you open to considering something similar in Canada?
Netherlands: I don’t think it would work… The person most knowledgeable about determining what is true and what is not on social media is my 13-year-old stepson. Because they have lived in this environment all their lives. You can also ban it on your phone, but it’s everywhere. There are computers everywhere and you can access them from anywhere. It doesn’t solve…I highly doubt it will succeed. I understand the intent and share their concerns, but I don’t know if it’s a policy solution.
CP: Health Canada states that MAID claimants whose death was not reasonably foreseeable (referred to as Track 2) are more likely to live in areas with more renters, which means these claimants are less likely to experience housing instability. He said this correlates with findings from earlier this year by Ontario’s chief coroner that the number of deaths was the highest. Are you worried about this?
Netherlands: Track 2 cases are people with all sorts of very complex and severe comorbidities. People with very complex comorbidities and very serious illnesses are probably not in a strong economic position. There are people who have high bills, unstable incomes, find it difficult to take care of themselves, and are extremely dependent on others. It could be a very, very poor condition of that person. It does not indicate economically that people in lower and more vulnerable situations are more likely to make choices, but rather indicates the health status of those situations.
CP: When it comes to AI, what would you be comfortable seeing in a medical setting, and what would be uncomfortable?
Netherlands: Suppose you visit a walk-in clinic with a problem. I’m going to see my primary care doctor for another appointment. You go to see your dental hygienist for another problem. If you have any other concerns, please consult your pharmacist. If you have interconnected data systems, you can run AI on these visits and look for what each visit has in common. You can run AI on it. OK, for this kind of condition, this kind of disease, the early indicators are: So you can catch them early.
It does not replace the ability or need to have a physical human being.
CP: Who can access that data? Does that mean my pharmacist can see my data from other doctors?
Netherlands: So there’s a way to keep data private, use AI to look for patterns in anonymized data, and use encryption to tell individuals that they need to take their data out and get it inspected.
CP: Would you consider enacting legislation that specifically addresses AI in healthcare so that doctors have something to do? Could you please release a federal guidance document?
Netherlands: When you share a fax machine page, you are sharing patient information. All kinds of patient information is already being shared, and regulations and controls around that information are already in place. So there’s nothing different about that.
CP: But when AI involves third-party organizations, for example when a doctor pays an AI scribe to transcribe an interview with a patient, there are concerns that the information could be transferred to different jurisdictions. . Some doctors don’t really understand what is safe and what is not.
Netherlands: You’ll be taking notes, but you’ll have to go back and make sure they’re accurate, skim over them, and run with them. So at this stage, this is something that needs to be verified and is a tool that can be used to speed up the process, but it needs to be edited. You need to make sure it’s accurate. Don’t rely on that alone. And I would argue that we’re probably a long way from having something like an AI scribe where you can just press a button and use it without thinking.
CP: Customers complained in 2018, 2019, and 2023-2024 about products made in the facility that was at the center of this year’s plant-based milk Listeria outbreak for unrelated reasons, including possible mold. filed a complaint. Do you think the Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted sufficient oversight of this facility?
Netherlands: The CFIA had no reason to believe that Listeria monocytogenes could be present in the facility, and therefore the risk level for Listeria monocytogenes was considered to be very low in the circumstances. Obviously, science has advanced. We now understand that Listeria monocytogenes can exist in places we didn’t believe. This will change testing methods and change the risk profile of facilities manufacturing similar products.
CP: South of the border, President Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his health file. How do you intend to work with him if he joins the US administration?
Netherlands: Start with agreement, work backwards, and always keep the conversation grounded in science, data, and evidence…I don’t prejudge a relationship before it begins. I know there’s a lot of speculation, but let me give you the facts as the conversation unfolds.
–This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage is supported through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
