  This paper presents a perspective on the Healthgrid initiative which involves
European projects deploying pioneering applications of grid technology in the
health sector. In the last couple of years, several grid projects have been
funded on health related issues at national and European levels. A crucial
issue is to maximize their cross fertilization in the context of an environment
where data of medical interest can be stored and made easily available to the
different actors in healthcare, physicians, healthcare centres and
administrations, and of course the citizens. The Healthgrid initiative,
represented by the Healthgrid association (http://www.healthgrid.org), was
initiated to bring the necessary long term continuity, to reinforce and promote
awareness of the possibilities and advantages linked to the deployment of GRID
technologies in health. Technologies to address the specific requirements for
medical applications are under development. Results from the DataGrid and other
projects are given as examples of early applications.
