China is going to launch the first-ever blockchain-powered hospital by January 2021. But the government officials still have some reservations about data privacy.

It is also the first affiliated hospital of Dalian Medical University. As the work on blockchain integration is not yet completed, the pilot program will be officially launched in January 2020. The blockchain technology will be employed by the hospital to store patient’s treatment history and information.

Dalian Medical University’s hospital will operate as an internet hospital. Patients and doctors can access information about treatment via WeChat applet.

Ministry of Information has Privacy Concerns

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology does not agree over the security and privacy of data and expresses its concerns to the hospital’s management. Hospital director Niu Tie explains that government officials have put a lot of pressure over us as their requirements of data are very strict. The Ministry of Information will “explore the application of blockchain from the perspective of data security.”

They just want to make it ensure that data stored over blockchain will remain secure. After passing from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the first blockchain-powered hospital will be introduced for the public by 2021.

Internet Hospital

It has been delayed due to the integration of blockchain in the infrastructure. Blockchain technology has been chosen for the first internet hospital as it has features of “anti-tampering, full trace retention, traceability, collective maintenance, openness and transparency.”

It is called an internet hospital because patients can check their treatment history and also make online appointments with doctors even in lockdowns. The data about treat and consultation will be accessed through WeChat. It is an attempt to facilitate contactless facilities due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Chinese companies are taking lead in introducing blockchain solutions to tackle real-life problems that cannot be solved by centralized forces. The post-pandemic era has fuelled the process of the world towards digitization. Recently, the European Commission proposed it must be ready to launch a digital euro amid world transition into a global digital world.

China is at the top of the list which has filed the largest number of blockchain patents.