Americans will soon be able to access and share their medical records through a new “digital health tech ecosystem”, unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump in partnership with more than 60 major technology companies.

The initiative, announced at the White House, will allow individuals to upload their health data onto mobile applications operated by private technology companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon.

“For decades, America’s health care networks have been overdue for a high tech upgrade, and that’s what we’re doing,” Trump said, criticising the current systems as “slow, costly and incompatible.”

The new system will be optional for users, described as “opt-in”, and aims to make personal health data portable across different medical providers, even those using incompatible systems.

“Today, the dream of easily transportable electronic medical records finally becomes a reality,” he said.

According to Trump, a deal was reached with 60 major tech companies to create standardised digital formats for medical records, which he said would ensure smooth data transfer between different platforms.

“This will allow patients to easily transmit information from one doctor to another, even if they’re using different networks and systems,” he added.

Calls for digitising the U.S. healthcare system have grown over the years, with experts citing increased efficiency, reduced paperwork, and better coordination between providers.

The new plan represents one of the most significant public-private efforts to tackle the longstanding issue of fragmented digital health records in the country.

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