Machine Learning and Big Data are certainly the two pivots around which Healthcare would be delivered in the future, Things are going to be no different in India. On the other hand I think the use of these advanced technologies are the only way out to secure access to care of the billion plus in the country.

One one of the areas that this can be used very effectively is in disease surveillance. A good example is how Germany is leveraging weather data to warn citizens on the health hazards of sunlight for example. Germany has been sharing ‘health-weather’ forecasting for three decades now. Newspapers not only carry the weather data, but also include information such as likely diseases accompanying the weather (upto 40 different diseases are covered) as well as symptoms (such as irritation, insomnia). On TV, varying degrees of symptoms and diseases are also provided. This website provides flu activity, pollen allergy and UV burns related information or Dachau in Germany. Media company AccuWeather now provides such health forecast for other countries too, like this one focused on allergies in New York city. For the complete article do click the link here.

All this is possible because of the confluence of machine learning and big data.Weather satellites store tonnes of information and this is used courtesy Big Data to improve health parameters. Through machine learning these sites are able to provide contextual information to users. Healthcare can greatly benefit from these technologies and the good news is that they are already available in India.

Lybrate which is an online doctor consultation platform that enables users to communicate with doctors from anywhere, anytime. The company has best used technology to bridge the gap between patients and doctors by enabling them to talk with each other, thus democratizing healthcare in the country.

Are you leveraging machine learning and big data in your business ? Do let me know your perspectives.