Securing E-health Networks from Counterfeit Medicine Penetration Using Blockchain

Abstract

This paper attempts to explain a solution to tackle the problem of counterfeit medicines in India by proposing a resilient electronic health networks using blockchain. The distribution and consumption of fake medicines take thousands of lives every year. There are no effective measures to combat the network of the fake medicine syndicate in the country, and the stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem have to work under trust-deficit relationships amongst them. Blockchain is a decentralized system of computer nodes, where each node stores the same data, and coexist with other nodes without having to trust them. The proposed solution is based on recording the medicine logistics requirements from medicine manufacturing to the patient on the blockchain network. If, at any stage, counterfeit medicine is introduced into the system, it will be detected immediately, and its further penetration will be stopped. The system is simulated using a hyper ledger fabric platform, and its performance is also compared with other existing methods. Results show that the system thus formed is computationally intensive but offers a reliable solution to the menace of fake medicines.