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A coalition of Icelandic doctors and citizens last week vowed to sue their
government for allowing the health records of all Icelanders to pass into
private hands. Last month, the government handed over an exclusive licence
allowing DeCode Genetics of Reykjavik to own and run the database, using it to
identify genes linked with disease. Opponents, led by an organisation called
Mannvernd, say the law allowing the transfer is unconstitutional because it
breaks the contract between doctors and their patients. “Our lawsuit will be
against the state of Iceland,” says Einar Arnason, vice chairman of Mannvernd.
Many doctors throughout Iceland have threatened to undermine the database by
withholding their patients’ medical records.