IBM to assist PMC provide better healthcare for Pune citizens

Under Smarter Cities Challenge Grant for 2012, IT giant IBM has selected Pune and Ahmedabad the only cities in India to analyze and recommend ways that will enable it to become even better places to live and work.

The IBM Smarter Cities Challenge is a competitive grant program in which IBM is awarding a total of $50 million worth of technology and services to 100 municipalities worldwide through 2013.

In general, teams of specially selected IBM experts will provide city leaders with analysis and recommendations to support successful growth, better delivery of municipal services, more citizen engagement, and improved efficiency.

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) plans to work with IBM to provide better healthcare for its citizens. The project will involve creating a blueprint for setting up a surveillance system to address important issues related to health of citizens of Pune. Data related to epidemics, hospital facilities, vulnerable constituents like senior citizens, pregnant women etc will be collated from different sources and through the use of Predictive analytics it will become possible to detect emerging health threats enabling proactive action.

This is an outgrowth of IBM's Corporate Service Corps grants program, in which IBM deploys teams of top employees to areas in the developing world to work on projects that intersect business, technology and society

Speaking on this, Anup Yadava, additional municipal commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation said, "This is a great initiative from a global technology leader to focus on Indian cities and citizens. The Pune Municipal Corporation looks forward to working with the IBM team in the area of healthcare. Health is the only area where the corporation has not engaged any private or corporate body for the advice. PMC will take these recommendations very seriously for the better healthcare services."

Commenting on this, Mamtha Sharma, manager, corporate citizenship and corporate affairs, IBM India said, "This project will draw on IBM's expertise in the area of providing technical solutions in healthcare and implementing recommendations that the city feels are most feasible and beneficial to its residents. A team of five people will work with PMC for three weeks in February 2013. During these engagements, IBM technical experts, researchers and consultants immerse themselves in local issues and offer a range of options and recommended next-steps."

As per this programme, IBM’s consultants and technology specialists will help municipalities understand and prioritize their needs, review strengths and areas of improvement, and learn from the successful strategies used by other cities worldwide.