Blockchain Technology has many applications in almost all aspects of life. Its security, scalability, privacy-preserving, interoperability, and other features are all part of what makes it ideal for most use cases.
The Healthcare sector can leverage Blockchain technology and improve its operation and efficiency, especially in the area of data management and education. In this blog, We will explore various ways through which Blockchain can improve the healthcare sector.
Decentralized Health Records
Privacy and accessibility of healthcare records are a big challenge in the sector. Patients do not have full control over their health records, sometimes, their health challenges are exposed to nonprofessionals and unskilled laborers. In most African countries, getting data from the health sector for research purposes is usually very challenging due to poor record-keeping.
With Blockchain Technology, some of these challenges can be averted. A decentralized health record system can give citizens full control over their health records. The record won't be accessed without their permission thereby promoting privacy. Accessing data like numbers of Malaria victims in the last 6 months, the mortality rate within a time frame, etc for research purposes will be easier, and the data more accurate compared to the manually recorded data which are sometimes inflated to accommodate the lack of a central database.
Smart Contracts for Insurance
Over the years, in developing continents like Africa, the health Insurance sector hasn't been offering the best service. There is a lack of transparency and poor accessibility of their service. Most of the insurance firms are situated only in developed cities.
There have been many cases of insurance claim denial.
Implementing smart contracts for decentralized health insurance, can automate claims processing and reduce administrative overhead, leading to more affordable and accessible coverage.
Citizens will have faith in the system which will be a win-win situation.
Telemedicine on the Blockchain
Telemedicine is a healthcare practice that involves providing medical services, diagnosis, consultations, and treatment remotely using telecommunications technology. It allows patients to connect with healthcare providers through video calls, phone calls, or online messaging, eliminating the need for in-person visits.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Telemedicine was used in developed countries to offer medical care while minimizing physical contact.
Building Telemedicine on Blockchain has many advantages it will come with.
First is that it will promote safety against fake health personnel since the services will be rendered on the immutable Blockchain. Any discrepancy can be traced and the victim is punished. Blockchain can accommodate incentives for both individuals offering the service and those receiving it. This will motivate citizens, especially those in remote areas to seek telemedication.
Token-Based Health Incentives
The Blockchain technology allows for
the creation of health-related tokens or NFTs to reward individuals for healthy behaviors.
For example, people can be rewarded for jogging, walking for x period, visiting Jims, etc.
These tokens can be used to access healthcare services, creating a direct link between health activities and incentives.
Community Governance Through DAOs
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) can be used to allow communities to collectively make decisions about their healthcare services.
This will not only make the system more responsive to local needs but will also provide an avenue for the government to understand the needs of its people.
Tokenized Medical Research
Over the years, it has been observed that people are usually reluctant to provide health information to research personnel. This is usually because of a lack of incentives for doing so, and/or privacy reasons.
By incentivizing medical research, people will be more willing to participate in medical research campaigns because there is something for them.
The list can go on, and it is important to correct an impression here. Blockchain can offer an improved healthcare system without any form of tokenization. Some countries have shut down the idea of adopting Blockchain because they believe that any use case built on Blockchain must involve tokenization. This is a wrong impression.
Several use cases such as data management and Telemedicine can stand on their own independently. The tokenization in most cases is for incentivizing the consumers of the service. The tokens in this type of scenario are not securities by the way. They are utility tokens.
Blockchain enthusiasts who wish to see Blockchain adoption in the health sector and other sectors in their countries should start now to push for the adoption. They should form a group that will work towards educating stakeholders of the state on how Blockchain can improve the country.
If we must do this, then we need to start now because Blockchain technology is an advanced tech. It needs expertise for one to be able to build on it. This means that there is a need for increased awareness, sponsored Blockchain tech skill acquisition, and lots more.