Smartcard technology helps prevent medical identity theft in India

New smartcards that will hold medical data are being introduced to hospitals in India.

According to a report from mydigitialfc.com, more than 40,000 of the new plastic cards have been distributed across 30 different hospitals. The new cards contain a patient’s identification information, as well as their specific medical history.

The new smartcards should help to prevent medical identity theft and enhance healthcare delivery in the region. Patient security has lagged in the region, says the website, because funds are devoted primarily to medical technology, doctors, and medicine.

“Information technology adoption [in the healthcare industry] is low in India because hospitals have not realised how much more effective and productive they can become by using [advanced technology]," Vishal Bali, CEO of Fortis Hospitals, told the website.

Yos, the card manufacturer, hopes to have 100,000 cards distributed across Bangalore before the end of the year.

According to a recent report from the Smart Card Alliance, medical identity theft is on the rise in North America, with thousands of cases reported a year. Similar smartcard technology may go a long way in helping hospitals verify a patient’s identification.

Related ID News:

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2. New Nova Scotian IDs help prevent identity theft
3. Smartcards used to fight grain theft in India
4. Officials in India announce dates for smartcards
5. India uses smartcard technology to curb fake university degree distribution

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This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 8:37 pm and is filed under Plastic Cards News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.