Argentina launches IOTA decentralized IDs, blockchain for organ transplants

Argentina’s national medical transplant authority, INCUCAI, has added decentralized digital identities and blockchain-based document checks to its network for organ and tissue transplants.

Extrimian developed the system for agencies’ verifiable digital identities registered on the IOTA Mainnet. INCUCAI will remain the authority in the structure and grant, suspend, or restore an agency’s accreditation.

IOTA Identity provides the decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials. The framework follows W3C standards and supports digital identities for individuals, organizations, and devices. IOTA launched the framework, which combines self-sovereign identity (SSI) and verifiable credentials with public ledger proofs while keeping credential contents off-chain, to alpha last year.

INCUCAI’s decentralized identifier is also linked to its official government domain to allow users to confirm that the identity visible through IOTA belongs to the national authority.

“By incorporating decentralized identity and cryptographic verification into our national systems, we are strengthening the integrity, traceability, and legal certainty of every critical stage, while safeguarding sensitive patient information,” says Daniela Hansen Krogh, director of Information Technology and Information Systems at INCUCAI.

Authorized participants can electronically sign documents and record a cryptographic fingerprint, or hash, on IOTA. The hash can later be used to confirm that a document has not been changed since it was signed and notarized.

Patient records, medical documents, and their contents will not be added to the decentralized network. IOTA stores cryptographic proofs of documents and process steps to allow their integrity to be verified without disclosing the health information.

The ledger can show that a document has not changed since notarization. However, it cannot confirm that the medical information was accurate when entered. This will depend on the healthcare professionals, agencies, and procedures involved.

IncucaiID is the digital wallet for patients, healthcare professionals, and other authorized users. They can receive verifiable credentials, prove their identity, and electronically sign documents connected with donation and transplant procedures.

IOTA’s Gas Station covers the network costs associated with recording the proofs. Users do not need to obtain IOTA tokens or manage transaction fees.

“This is what IOTA’s open technology can do for critical public services at national scale: real infrastructure, already coordinating decisions that save lives,” says Dominik Schiener, co-founder and chairman of the IOTA Foundation.

The operational rollout began in June and will progress in stages. Implementation starts with the registration for heart and lung transplant waiting lists. It then expands to other waiting lists and additional processes within SINTRA (transplant information system).

Article Topics

blockchain  |  digital wallets  |  Extrimian  |  IOTA Identity  |  self-sovereign identity  |  verifiable credentials