Effective Blockchain deployment could have enabled the world react faster to Covid-19 spread: Mohua Sengupta

The world has not seen anything like the Covid-19 pandemic before. Today we need to take a hard look at the reporting infrastructure available for communicable diseases, both technology and regulations and improve upon that, such that we do not need to face another pandemic like this in the future. And, Blockchain, in this case, could have been a great enabler.

Mohua Sengupta, co-Founder of Ventures, a platform for theatre and theatre-based behavioural coaching, shares with VoicenData on how Blockchain, if it had antecedently been implemented on a global scale, could have been a great enabler in the early containment measures to prevent the global spread of Covid-19.

Voice&Data: What are those inherent abilities of Blockchain that makes it a critical necessity for the world facing this pandemic situation caused by Coronavirus?

Mohua Sengupta: As we all know, with Blockchain we can share any transaction/information, real-time, between relevant parties present as nodes in the chain, in a secure and immutable fashion. In this case, had there been a blockchain where WHO, Health Ministry of each country and maybe even relevant nodal hospitals of each country, were connected, sharing real-time information, about any new communicable disease, then the world might have woken up much earlier.

We might have seen travel restrictions given sooner, quarantining policies set sooner and social distancing implemented faster. And maybe fewer countries would have got impacted. What every country is doing now fighting this pandemic, would have been restricted to fewer countries and on a much smaller scale. The usage of a Blockchain to share the information early on might have saved the world a lot of pain.

The usage of a Blockchain to share the information early on might have saved the world a lot of pain.

The top five advantages of Blockchain technology are 1. Greater transparency; 2. Enhanced security; 3. Improved traceability; 4. Increased efficiency and speed; and 5. Reduced cost of a transaction.

Voice&Data: Now that the spread is uncontrollable in several nations, how can blockchain deployment serve a purpose?

Mohua Sengupta: Today the world is fighting Covid 19 pandemic together. The only enduring feature of this horrific pandemic is how united the world has become in its fight against the virus. We no longer talk about caste, creed, religion or even nationality. We all know that any country that can discover the cure or vaccine for the virus will help the world at large.

So, what is the need of the hour in the current situation? Sharing of medical records, information, availability of testing kits, various data and lab reports from the research happening in various corners of the world and connecting them on a real-time basis, so that there is no duplication of activities across the globe. In today's situation, the research centres of the world should work like an assembly line, where one team's positive outcome or breakthrough of one step can be picked up by all to move to the next step, instead of each reinventing the wheel.

Blockchain would have been really helpful here. If these research centres are a node in a private blockchain, then this would be faster and more secure.

Voice&Data: It is believed that Blockchain and IoT are paired technologies. How can this combination help improve medical systems and what kind of impact will that have on containing Covid-19 spread?

Mohua Sengupta: Blockchain and IoT are both path-breaking technologies and many a times when integrated, can be extremely powerful. In the medical world, the two most popular use cases for IoT are:

Wearables: The popularity of wearables is fast increasing. Today, we even have ingestible IoT devices that make it easier for medical practitioners to check and monitor their patients on a real-time basis and ensure a much faster response to any emergency. As these IoT devices are becoming more and more popular, concerns are being raised about the privacy of such data. With high-profile data privacy-related scandals, this is a major concern. Here comes the application of Blockchain technology, with all its security protocols, to transport this data to all relevant parties, based on the data owner’s permission and at a lightning speed. Through Blockchain, this permission can also be granted on a temporary basis for the data to be shared with someone for a short period of time and revoked when no longer needed. So, medical records of individuals can easily be shared, in this way, between hospitals, doctors etc.

A combination of IoT and Blockchain can definitely partially release the mounting pressure on the healthcare system and medical practitioners.

Now let’s consider this in our current context. Many daily wage labourers who come to the city to work had no work during the lockdown and have gone back to their villages. So very soon we would start seeing Covid 19 infected people in the remotest corners. How do we provide them with the necessary healthcare support? Wouldn’t an appropriate wearable be helpful in this case? Also, given how contagious this disease is, each of these people might have ended up infecting many more during their travel and it might become necessary to track personal interaction data, besides health records. Imagine the risk of data privacy as well as the long lead time to collect and connect all these data, without Blockchain. A combination of IoT and Blockchain can definitely partially release the mounting pressure on the healthcare system and medical practitioners.

Connected devices to track pharmaceuticals like medicines, testing kits, etc: Tracking pharmaceuticals through the supply chain network is another excellent use case for IoT in the world of healthcare. Here also we need strong guarantees that the data is accurate and untampered. Blockchain enablement of these IoT devices could exchange such critical data seamlessly to the appropriate nodes.

In the current scenario where the world is desperately short of testing kits for Covid 19, wouldn’t this be extremely appropriate? Hopefully, we will have the medicines or vaccines for this disease sometime soon. Again, there will be a shortage and there will be a need to track this data with the appropriate level of data security. Hence, IoT and Blockchain together can help us swim in these high tide situations.

Voice&Data: Was blockchain largely neglected at times like this? Could it have helped the early containment of Covid-19 if deployed appropriately? 

Mohua Sengupta: Blockchain has not been neglected as a technology. There has been a lot of hype around Blockchain for years at length. Many POCs have happened, many use cases have been tested, but real-life progress has been negligible. Why? Is this unique to Blockchain as a technology? Actually, any new technology takes some time to become mainstream, because organizations are sceptical to be the first implementer. Blockchain seemed to have followed a similar pattern, but the lead time for Blockchain to be mainstream has been much longer than any other emerging technology.

Until now, the regulators have not taken a concrete step. We are aware that activities are on, in many countries, but we are yet to experience the mainstream implementation of Blockchain on a large scale.

According to me, this is primarily because the regulators are not ready. As we know, Blockchain technology manages to remove the intermediaries and can connect each party directly as one of the nodes in the blockchain. So, the functions of the intermediaries become irrelevant or marginalized. For the regulators, it’s a paradigm shift and they need to gear up for that. And, it has to run parallelly with their current roles, because not everything will change to Blockchain lock, stock and barrel. Until now, the regulators have not taken a concrete step. We are aware that activities are on, in many countries, but we are yet to experience the mainstream implementation of Blockchain on a large scale.

And yes, absolutely it would have helped contain the Covid-19 spread, had we deployed this before with appropriate laws and regulations attached to it.

Mohua Sengupta was previously the EVP & Global Head of Services, 3i Infotech. Mohua has over 24+ years of experience in Banking & Financials Services Industry and IT Services industry, across the globe.