The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MC) together with the Ministry of Health is working on creating a “space” thanks to which scientists will be able to analyze anonymous medical data – informed Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Michał Gramatyka during Wednesday's parliamentary committee.
“We intend to create a data space in which it will be possible to analyze anonymous medical data for scientific purposes,” Gramatyka said during a session of the Sejm's Digitalization, Innovation and Modern Technologies Committee. He added that the project will enable the analysis of huge amounts of data (Big Data) and the search for non-obvious correlations.
As an example of the use of such a system, he gave the search for information about drugs used in the treatment of type II diabetes, which are “in vogue” because they accelerate metabolism and reduce appetite. “Nobody knows what side effects these drugs have in the distant future,” emphasized Gramatyka. He added that the new data space will make the analysis of such information easier.
As he pointed out, the Ministry of Digital Affairs is working on the project, and it will be presented by “appropriate persons in the Ministry of Health”.
Regulating the rules of access to medical data – individual and statistical – for research and development (R&D) purposes is one of the goals indicated by the Ministry of Digitalization in the draft of the State Digitalization Strategy until 2035. The Ministry indicated in the document that within 10 years Poland should have “large resources of reliable health data” and the rules of access to them for R&D purposes will be “transparent, democratic and effective”. It was added that the database would contain data collected in public registers and medical documentation stored by the Register of Entities Performing Medical Activity (PWDL). It was indicated that a standard for anonymization and pseudonymization of medical data should be established.
The draft of the State Digitalization Strategy was subject to public consultations, which were concluded in December last year. In January this year, the Ministry of Digitalization responded to the submitted comments and announced work on a new draft. (PAP)
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