According to BBC, Google company represented by its Google DeepMind division, tries to resolve healthcare questions. A project created together with Moorfields eye hospital, includes the analysis of a data base with 1 million of scanned eyes for testing a new system, which should become a program for diagnosis of kidneys diseases.
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The opinions on reasonability of using such method have divided. The opponents claim that people can be displeased with their inclusion in such a data base, especially in case when it is not anonymous. In its turn, Google is amazed with a negative reaction, as “the project is aimed at life saving”.
It is not the only time, when the company and the healthcare institutions exchanged data. In May, DeepMind has already got the access to a data base of 1.6 million patients in three clinics London’s Royal Free Trust for Streams application development, which allowed informing doctors about the patients’ acute kidney injuries risks. The project is held under the auspices of the National Health Service of Great Britain, which supposes that it is “unproductive” to ask for consent from the patients.
As concerns Moorfields, the provided data was anonymized and designed to certain “ethical” projects. A patient may send a letter interdicting the use of his data.
Apart from humanitarian purposes, Google also plans to commercialize the healthcare projects. The form of cooperation with the healthcare system is still discussed, and, according to a Google top manager Muhammud Suleyman, “it will take several years”. With that the company would like to get money from every health outcome.
