Technical solution specifications on user’s “right to be forgotten” on consortium blockchains

Abstract

In 2018, global spending on health reached US$ 8.3 trillion, or 10% of global GDP. It was also the first time in the past five years that health spending grew slower than GDP (Hernández-Peña, 2020, p. 2). Health protection has always been a primary concern for humankind. One of the core improvements in the Healthcare industry has been digitalization. With digitalization comes the processes of data collection and storage of patient information. As per World Health Organization (WHO) (International Telecommunications Union, 2020, p. 7), robust digital health systems can be instrumental in supporting progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the implementation of the Digital Health Resolution adopted by WHO’s World Health Assembly (WHA) in 2018. 2017 onwards, a new interest is seen in research on blockchain (BC) in healthcare. BC has shown potential among other advancements in technology. Healthcare services are transforming towards a more patient-centric approach. Transforming healthcare needs a focus on the management of data. The potential appears as disparate systems are connected. Connected systems increase the accuracy of Electronic Health Records (EHR). BC based frameworks could help enhance the security and integrity of patient's data. Hence allowing for easier data exchange across partners within the healthcare ecosystem.