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- Parimal Priyadarshi, VP of Product NU10 Technologies
- Dr Alia Sadawi, Researcher at the American University of Sharjah
- Saeed Mohammed Al Hebsi, Advisor in AI and Senior Project Manager for the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE)
- Dr Mohamed Al Hemairy, Head of the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Sharjah
- Ahmed Yousif, Middle East Lead, BSV Blockchain for Government Initiative
Blockchain for vaccines and the healthcare sector
While the BSV blockchain is often viewed through the lens of how it can benefit the banking and payment sectors, some of the biggest advantages of the protocol are set to be seen in the healthcare sector, said Dr Sadawi. Sadawi specifically pointed to the COVID pandemic and the value of having an immutable ledger to track and trace information and the distribution of vaccines. While global concerns around COVID have largely subsided, Sadawi said that there is still a clear use case for the technology. ‘After taking the vaccine, there are potential symptoms which might happen. These vaccines were developed by big companies, and while we appreciate their work and the resources they have put into the project, it was developed very fast.’ ‘We really appreciate the work that these companies have done but we are trying to follow up on any symptoms that people may have suffered from, whether they are normal healthy people or people with special needs. And link those symptoms to the cold supply chain of the vaccine. We want to know if a symptom occurs randomly or if it is associated with a certain company, or if it is associated with a certain lot of that company’s vaccine.’ ‘We are linking a mesh of information that helps the health sector on following up on the vaccine aftermath symptoms.’Blockchain in governance
Saeed Mohammed Al Hebsi said that the entire United Arab Emirates has a clear strategy for how it plans to adopt and deploy blockchain technology in the coming years. This includes three key pillars:-
- To be international leaders in blockchain technology;
- To create interest in blockchain and Artificial Intelligence;
- To improve government efficiency.