Chipping Pioneer
John Halamka, CIO and physician at a major Boston health center volunteered to chip himself – with a RFID implanted under his skin, which contains his personal ID. He did this to promote the use of implanted RFID containing patient’s medical information, vital in many cases he experienced where patients had no ID, were unconscious, non-verbal or mentally ill. Alzheimer’s patients will be good example of benefit from the technology.
He said he felt to be at a unique position to pilot the technology, and his action would “inevitably reunite the patients with their loved ones”. He claimed no side effects and other health safety issue of the implantation. He did acknowledge the privacy and data security concerns, including improper use of the information of his whereabout for marketing purpose. He emphasized the limits of user and scanner facility, non-disclosure of information, and patient consent of receiving the implantation.
As Halamka says "I have no regrets", I have high respect to this guy’s being a guinean pig for something he thinks is right to do. Are we all going to be chipped one day?
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