Transforming Healthcare Sector in India Through Blockchain Technology: Challenges and Opportunities from Legal Perspectives

Abstract

Contrary to popular belief, blockchain technology is not a development of the twenty-first century; instead, strategic research in this area has made revolutionary changes in the last three decades. This resurgence of interest in blockchain owes primarily to cryptocurrency. With legal challenges plaguing cryptocurrencies, this technology explored other avenues and has become popular in the healthcare sector, mainly because of its ability to secure lifetime medical records. The Global North has been vocal on this potential and is developing strategies to explore its possibilities beyond pilot projects. On the contrary, barring a handful of exceptions, the Global South is yet to explore similar options. As information technology expands across jurisdictions, it becomes imperative to focus on the potential capacity building in the Global South. Framing/Developing a legal framework, which would address the existing challenges, this technology inherently would be a sine qua non, in achieving the goal. It is essential to study the subject from a techno-socio-legal standpoint and critically examine blockchain technology’s feasibility in healthcare. This effort to identify the critical concerns for applying this technology and developing a strategy to include this technology’s possible adaptability shall be the key to attain the vision of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) to promote smart healthcare in smart cities.