Controversial project

EU wants health data from 450 million citizens

Billions of data to be collected

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

The European Commission wants to collect the health data of all 450 million EU citizens and use it for research, diagnosis and more. Austria supports the controversial project. Health Minister Johannes Rauch is now going public 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 in this legislative period. For Rauch, the networking and use of health data is "indispensable", as it 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 thanks to the networking and analysis of millions of pieces of data.

Johannes Rauch supports the EU project

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Last but not least, such an amount of data is also about money. "We are in global competition, not with Hungary or Germany, but with the USA and China," says Rauch. The project is a consequence of corona. The lack of data linking within the EU has made it much more difficult to combat the pandemic. The minister emphasizes that, as with ELGA, every citizen can opt out of the data system and that data security and anonymity remain guaranteed. 

Baltic states and Scandinavia are more relaxed with data
Originally, there were no plans to opt out, but Austria insisted on it, says Rauch. In contrast, Scandinavia and the Baltic states have different traditions and a much more relaxed approach to data, explains the ministry. Data protectionists are alarmed. Thomas Lohning from "Epicentrum.works" explains these concerns to the "Krone": Firstly, they are worried that the opt-out option will be removed and secondly, they reject the planned generous secondary use of the data.

This concerns the use of data for research purposes and the like. "The use of sensitive health data must not become the standard, as is planned," says the data protection officer. "Health data is among the most sensitive personal data of every person. It is therefore essential that it enjoys a particularly high level of protection and that people can decide for themselves whether, how and by whom their own data is processed."

Symbolic imageBillions of data are to be collected.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Upheaval in the digital transformation
The project is called the "European Health Data Space" (EHDS) and is one of the cornerstones of the so-called European Health Union. The Commission is touting the EHDS as a "quantum leap" for the healthcare of people throughout Europe. It aims to improve healthcare, create a single market for digital health services and products and enable the use of health data for research. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides speaks of a "radical change in the digital transformation of healthcare in the EU".

Patient records, electronic prescriptions, image data and image reports, laboratory results and discharge reports will be stored. A new digital health authority will be created or commissioned in each country for this purpose. These authorities will then be involved in the cross-border digital infrastructure(MyHealth@EU), through which the cross-border exchange of data will take place.