Belgium gets digital patient file

brussels - The Belgians will soon be able to view their own medical file via the internet. The digital platform Personal Health Viewer will be launched in the first quarter of this year. That is what Minister of Health Maggie De Block said on Belgian radio.

According to the minister, patients are not only given access to their medical data. 'We will also give the opportunity to add things that, according to the patient, should also be included,' she said. The Belgians may also choose whether their file is shared with others.

The Belgians have been able to view their medical records since 2002, but they have to go to their doctor for that. De Block hopes that the platform encourages people to be more involved with their health. 'The patient must be a co-pilot in the cockpit when it comes to health care,' she says.

In addition, the Minister for Personal Health Viewer has more functions in mind in the future. In this way, she wants to link health apps to the system at a later stage. That should enable care at a distance. Think of measuring the heart rate or the blood sugar level.