This article was originally published on the NITI Frontier Tech Respository.
When Kalyan Sivasailam’s friend faced a two-day delay in receiving an MRI report in 2015, it underscored a critical bottleneck in India’s diagnostic ecosystem: the shortage of timely radiology services. This incident inspired the creation of 5C Network, co-founded in 2016 by Sivasailam and Syed Ahmed.
Combining cloud infrastructure with AI-powered reporting tools, the platform ensures that medical imaging—X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs—is diagnosed quickly and accurately, regardless of geography.
Designed to facilitate coordination among five key actors—patient, hospital, radiologist, technician, and physician—5C Network now processes over 3,000 cases daily, has generated more than 8.5 million radiology reports, and serves 3,000+ client sites across 24 Indian states, with a network of 500+ radiologists.
The Prodigi platform: on-demand radiology at scale
Prodigi serves as the operational core of 5C Network, automating the entire diagnostic workflow. Hospitals and centres can upload medical images along with case history, which are then routed to appropriate radiologists via Prodigi’s intelligent interface. By using AI to prioritise urgent cases and categorise abnormalities, the platform reduces turnaround times to as little as 24–39 minutes—a dramatic improvement over traditional timelines of one to two days.
It incorporates tools like an AI-assisted DICOM viewer, integrated reporting system, and cloud-based PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), enhancing collaboration while maintaining enterprise-grade security.
Bionic suite: Enhancing radiologist decision-making
The Bionic Suite adds clinical intelligence to radiology workflows through AI modules that support four key functions:
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Segment: Isolates organs in scans and provides accurate anatomical measurements, reducing manual work.
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Detect: Identifies critical pathologies, including brain hemorrhages, for rapid escalation in emergency settings.
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Analyze: Replaces traditional DEXA scans by analysing knee X-rays for osteoporosis—already adopted by hospitals in Bengaluru.
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Measure: Calculates niche clinical parameters, such as 28 chiropractic intersection angles, supporting advanced diagnostics in specialised fields.
An embedded Inference Engine routes reports based on complexity, while the Bionic Report standardises radiologist input into globally compliant outputs.
OsteoCheck: Tackling bone health through AI
With 62 million Indians at risk for osteoporosis and osteopenia, OsteoCheck addresses a critical diagnostic gap in bone health. Trained on over 1.3 million scans, it evaluates clinical markers like joint space narrowing, bone alignment, osteophytes, and sclerosis. Its segmentation and grading capabilities allow for early detection and personalised treatment planning—especially vital for post-COVID patients, older adults, sedentary individuals, and menopausal women.
By automating clinical workflows, reducing turnaround time, and strengthening diagnostic consistency, these platforms help optimise both public and private healthcare delivery.
OsteoCheck empowers patients and clinicians by generating actionable, demographically tailored insights on bone degeneration, contributing to preventive orthopaedic care.
Relevance to national health strategy and policy frameworks
5C Network’s integrated AI offerings support several national missions:
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The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, by creating cloud-based, interoperable systems that deliver patient-centric diagnostics.
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The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), through early detection modules like Evo Screen and OsteoCheck.
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The Digital Health Blueprint and Viksit Bharat@2047 vision, by leveraging AI to enhance diagnostic equity and decentralise specialised care.
By automating clinical workflows, reducing turnaround time, and strengthening diagnostic consistency, these platforms help optimise both public and private healthcare delivery.
Building infrastructure for a new diagnostic paradigm
Through tools like Prodigi, Bionic Suite, and OsteoCheck, 5C Network exemplifies how indigenous innovation can address India’s healthcare bottlenecks. By making radiology faster, smarter, and more accessible, these AI-powered solutions are building the backbone for a tech-enabled diagnostic ecosystem. In a landscape where delays can cost lives and rural access remains uneven, 5C’s model demonstrates how technology can redefine not just speed, but also the standard of care.
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