Cloud computing to ease healthcare access in Kolkata soon

A cloud-based application based on Big Data is being developed to ease access to healthcare facilities for masses in the eastern metropolis and connect rural areas to the city as well.

Christened '24by7.Care', the platform is set to be rolled out in the next three months, said developer Suvro Ghosh, the founder of a US-based biotech company that has a strong footing in Kolkata and Hyderabad.

"Given Kolkata's dense population and the plethora of problems regarding accessibility to healthcare at any given time, we need to build a framework based on latest technologies such as cloud computing and Big Data. The 24by7.Care platform is a database dependent one and we are currently building a data base. The service will be ready in three months," Ghosh told the media here.

Big Data refers to the sheer volume of raw and unstructured data which is virtually everywhere including posts in a social networking platform.

Ghosh, who helms the Texas-based ClinZen LLC, is known for developing a software that can increase the efficiency of clinical trials and collaboration throughout.

The new healthcare solution is being designed for Kolkata initially and will be available on every computing device, he said.

It would serve needs such as availability of medication, booking an ambulance or doctor or getting admitted to a hospital.

Cloud or cloud computing means consumption of computing resources as a utility-just like electricity-rather than having to build and maintain computing infrastructures in-house.

It basically means that computing facilities can be accessed from anywhere over the network using devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, personal computers etc. One example of cloud computing as a service is Flickr.