Why government health agencies worldwide are selecting AWS to transform patient care

Healthcare systems around the world are facing unprecedented challenges, from addressing chronic conditions to supporting aging populations and addressing emerging health threats, and it has become unmistakably clear that technology is no longer just a support function—it’s a force-multiplier that can transform health outcomes. At HAQM Web Services (AWS), we’ve witnessed a remarkable shift as health agencies worldwide increasingly choose cloud computing to drive innovation, enhance research capabilities, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes.

The momentum behind this transformation is undeniable. National health organizations are leveraging AWS to reimagine healthcare delivery and medical research. For example, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked with AWS to launch BioSense, the first fully cloud-based National Health application built on AWS in 2009. Today’s national health organizations are not just adopting cloud technology, they’re fundamentally changing how healthcare works.

Accelerating life-changing research

Perhaps nowhere is the impact of cloud technology more profound than in medical research. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Million Veteran Program (MVP), one of the world’s largest medical databases, exemplifies this transformation. To accelerate toward the enrollment goal of one million participants, AWS worked with the VA to develop MVP Online, hosted on AWS GovCloud (US). This platform maintains strict compliance with HIPAA and government security requirements. Since its launch, MVP Online has significantly streamlined veteran enrollment and participation, and by 2023, the MVP platform reached the milestone of one million veteran participants.

Similarly, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Portfolio Analysis (OPA), responsible for prioritizing NIH research across its 27 entities, has achieved remarkable efficiency gains and reduced costs by migrating their research analytics to AWS. Now, OPA can scale its analytical applications on demand to 10 times their capacity whenever needed, with the ability to be in production in three hours instead of the six months the process would typically take.

AWS’s high performance computing is also supporting critical research breakthroughs. At NIH, scientists recently uncovered how a protein structure that transports “bad” cholesterol through the bloodstream enters cells. This information had eluded researchers for decades because powerful computational resources were required to process massive amounts of imaging data for their research. These findings could lead to more personalized treatments for cardiovascular disease.

Harnessing AI to transform healthcare processes

National health agencies are also discovering that artificial intelligence, powered by cloud computing, can transform administrative processes that once consumed countless hours of employees’ time. AWS worked with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop a machine learning prototype known as the Computerized Labeling Assessment Tool (CLAT) to accelerate drug labeling reviews and minimize the risk of medication errors. FDA reviewers typically perform 25 to 50 drug reviews per year, so the FDA sought a cutting-edge solution to increase efficiency. With CLAT, FDA has the potential to expedite and enhance the process of drug labeling reviews—which normally take FDA reviewers weeks—while increasing standardization and accuracy.

Building secure, scalable health systems for the future

Security and compliance remain paramount concerns for health agencies handling sensitive patient and medical data.

In collaboration with Synapxe, Singapore’s national HealthTech agency, AWS is powering the enhanced HealthX Innovation Sandbox 2.0—a secure, cloud-based environment designed specifically for developing and validating digital health solutions ready for real-world implementation. Hosted on AWS, the platform provides innovators with access to more than 2,300 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) APIs, synthetic healthcare datasets, and simulation environments. This is enabling them to test and scale applications while adhering to strict standards for privacy, interoperability, and clinical relevance.

Additionally, AWS is providing approximately £8 million worth of cloud computing credits to UK Biobank, the world’s leading biomedical database, which will be matched by £8 million in government funding. This contribution gives UK Biobank access to crucial data storage infrastructure and advanced AWS services, including AI and machine learning capabilities. The cloud infrastructure will allow UK Biobank to securely store and manage its vast collection of health data, while enabling the database to scale easily as more data is added in the future. UK Biobank’s data is already accessible to approved researchers worldwide through the UK Biobank Research Analysis platform, which is hosted on AWS and enabled by DNAnexus.

What makes these examples particularly compelling is their scalability. Solutions developed for one challenge often create blueprints that can be applied elsewhere, creating a multiplier effect for innovation across the healthcare ecosystem.

The path forward

The examples shared here represent just the beginning. From enabling precision medicine to enhancing pandemic response capabilities, cloud computing is empowering national health agencies to fulfill their missions and serve patients more effectively than ever before. The leaders embracing these technologies today are setting new standards for what’s possible in healthcare delivery and research.

By combining the expertise of healthcare professionals with the power of cloud computing, we’re not just improving systems—we’re improving lives. That’s the true promise of technology in healthcare, and it’s a mission we’re proud to support.