29.03.2024

United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health Launches Blockchain System

The official news agency of the UAE reported the development on Sept. 18, noting that the system aims to improve data integrity.

United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) launched a blockchain system for recording and sharing information of healthcare workers in health facilities.

Per the report, the platform will “save and share the assessment information of health professionals, including doctors, pharmacists and technicians with local licensing health authorities.”

A healthcare data sharing solution

Assistant under-secretary of the Support Services Sector, Awad Saghir Al Ketbi, offered some insights in the scope of the development:

“The Ministry has successfully developed the necessary infrastructure for a blockchain-based decentralized database. In the first stage, we will link the system of evaluation of health workers with public and private health authorities and other relevant institutions to create a single digital platform with access to the portfolio of health professionals.”

Part of a broader initiative

Al Ketbi also pointed out that the solution is part of the broader Emirates Blockchain Strategy 2021 announced in April last year, with which the UAE aims to make sure that 50 percent of government transactions will be blockchain-based by 2021.

Director of Information Technology at the Ministry, Mubaraka Ibrahim, praised the advantages offered by the use of blockchain technology, saying:

“Blockchain technology offers a variety of benefits and advantages, including a decentralized database in which the stored data becomes unchangeable. It will also help improve data and information validation and consistency, which in turn provides a high level of transparency and trust in the healthcare services sector.”

The official also explained tamper-proof data will allow health service providers to “access reliable information and take appropriate decisions, automate workflow processes electronically, improve the experience of customers and employees, and boost operational performance.”

Lastly, she noted that he MoHAP is also working to develop e-health services and laying out plans to integrate digital technologies and improve the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare with big data, predictive models and blockchain technologies.

As Cointelegraph reported at the end of May, the Dubai Land Department (DLD), the real estate arm of the Executive Council of Dubai, has partnered with UAE-based Mashreq Bank to release a blockchain-based mortgage platform.

Upbit Exchange Delists Privacy Coins Due to Money Laundering Concerns

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit announced that it will cease trading support for six cryptocurrencies, including some so-called privacy coins.

Block the possibility of money laundering

In a Sept. 20 notice, UpBit announced that the exchange will delist and cease trading support for Monero (XMR), DASH, ZCash (ZEC), Haven (XHV), BitTube (TUBE) and PIVX by Sept. 30.

The exchange added that it will no longer support deposits in these cryptocurrencies and will cancel orders requested before the end of the transaction support in Korean won, Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) and USDT markets.

Upbit clarified that the reason for delisting these six privacy coins is to block the possibility of  money laundering and the inflow from external networks.

Upbit follows in OKEx’s footsteps

This news comes just days after the South Korean arm of cryptocurrency exchange OKEx, OKEx Korea, removed support for five major altcoins due to new international regulations.

OKEx Korea confirmed it would halt trading of Monero, Dash, Zcash, Horizen (ZEN) and Super Bitcoin (SBTC) on Oct. 10. The reason being that as since they are focused on privacy, the coins fall foul of new guidelines set out by the intergovernmental body the Financial Action Task Force, or FATF.

The FATF is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of the G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering. While it is not mandatory for nations to comply with their recommendations, it could see non-compliant nations end up on a financial blacklist.

More exchanges could follow

As Cointelegraph previously reported, the sweeping changes to crypto transaction rules demand businesses to identify the two parties sending funds to each other if a transaction is worth more than around $1,000.

More than 200 countries should theoretically implement the rules by June 2020, despite concerns that doing so is physically impossible for many decentralized blockchains.

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