The European Commission wants to collect the health data of all 450 million EU citizens and use it for research, diagnostics and more. Austria supports the controversial project. Health Minister Johannes Rauch is now going out to prevent fake news, as he says. The project has been under negotiation for two years and is currently in the hot phase.
The EU Parliament is currently deciding whether an agreement can be reached during this legislature. For Rauch, networks and the use of health data are “indispensable” because they would enable uniform framework conditions and better care across Europe, benefit research and make diagnoses much easier.
According to the minister, artificial intelligence is better at making diagnoses than any doctor, by networking and evaluating millions of data.
Last but not least, such a large amount of data also involves money. “We compete globally, but not with Hungary or Germany, but with the US and China,” says Rauch. The project is a result of Corona. The lack of data linkage within the EU has made combating the pandemic much more difficult. The minister emphasizes that, just as with ELGA, every citizen can unsubscribe from the data system and that the security and anonymity of the data are guaranteed.
The Baltics and Scandinavia are more relaxed when it comes to dates
No exit was originally planned, but Austria strongly insisted on it, Rauch says. In Scandinavia and the Baltic states, on the other hand, they have different traditions and a much more relaxed approach to data, the ministry explains. Data protection advocates are worried. Thomas Lohning from “Epicentrum.works” explains these concerns to the “Krone”: firstly, they are afraid that the exit option will be canceled and secondly, they reject the planned generous secondary use of the data.
The data is used for research purposes and the like. „The use of sensitive health data should not become the default, as intended,” the data protection officer said. “Health data is among the most sensitive personal data of every human being. It is therefore essential that they enjoy a particularly high level of protection and that you can decide for yourself whether, how and by whom your own data is processed.”
Unrest in digital change
The project is called “European Health Data Space” (EHDS) and is one of the cornerstones of the so-called European Health Union. The Commission welcomes the EHDS as a “major leap forward” for healthcare for people across Europe. It aims to improve healthcare, create a single market for digital healthcare services and products and enable the use of health data for research. EU Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides speaks of a “transformation in the digital transformation of healthcare in the EU”.
Patient files, electronic prescriptions, image data and image reports, laboratory results and discharge reports are stored. A new digital health authority will be established or mandated in each country. These authorities are then involved in the cross-border digital infrastructure (MyHealth@EU) through which the cross-border exchange of data takes place.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
