Tanzania Home To First Blockchain Baby

The world’s first ‘blockchain baby’ has been born in Tanzania. The baby was part of an Irish medical project ‘Aid:Tech’ that used the instrumental collection of digital information from the mother’s medical records. Working with PharmAccess Foundation the project aimed to establish new ways to improve transparency and identify pregnant women to provide them with the necessary care.

The project worked by giving each pregnant woman a digital identity to track their care and store their records from early pregnancy to birth. It is now been used to ensure mothers and babies are receiving access to postnatal care.

The baby was born in July 2018, but details regarding the project have only recently been shared. It is hoped that by using technology to track the care given to mothers and their babies that mortality rates can be reduced. There are still 556 deaths per 100,000 live births in Tanzania. By promoting transparency the system is also designed to minimise opportunities for fraud.