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REUTERS
LONDON
Britain’s state-run health service is teaming up with Amazon to provide medical advice for common ailments such as migraines and flu via the tech giant’s voice assistant Alexa, aiming to help more patients at home and cut down on costs.
The plan is to give patients - especially the elderly, blind and those unable to access the internet through traditional means - access to information verified by the National Health Service (NHS) by using voice commands, the government said.
The deal could ease pressure on the NHS by reducing the need to visit a doctor. However, there are concerns that older people, who are used to telephonic or personal interactions, might find it hard to adapt to newer technologies for healthcare services.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said smart devices could help older people access routine health information and advice, especially if there was support available to help them learn how to use them.
“Older people still have traditional ways of getting the right information and advice, such as face to face and telephone support,” Abrahams said. Five million people aged 65 and over have never used the internet, she added.
The deal marks the latest move by Amazon into healthcare following its purchase of online pharmacy PillPack last year, and a tie-up with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co aimed at cutting health costs for US employees.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said millions of people were already asking Alexa and other voice assistants about health matters, and he wanted to make sure they received the very best advice in response.
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11/07/2019
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