Potentials of Blockchain for Healthcare: Case of Tunisia

Tunisia is a growing economy and in the midst of social, political, economic, technological and epidemiological transition. As a developing economy, Tunisia encounters related concerns in their healthcare sector. Opportunities include the mitigation of risks associated with counterfeit medicines including vaccines (“drugs”). Moreover, significant issues include drug availability and wastage, a fragmented healthcare information system. Overall, these issues are compounded by a lack of collaboration between healthcare stakeholders in setting priorities and moving the sector towards a patient-focused model of healthcare and preventative medicine. Many of these issues may be suited to the adoption of new technologies such as Blockchain and multiple case studies will be outlined within the scope of this paper. The present study aims to address the current issues and challenges pertaining to the healthcare sector in Tunisia and to contextualize the role of new technologies in providing better patient care, improved financial management and improved patient safety.