‘Women have an opportunity to make choices.’ ‘One who aspires shall achieve great deeds. You can find the desired freedom in what you aspire to become as your life is the result of the accumulated choices you make. Don’t even try to be like others. Always aspire to be better than them.’ This is a comment you made in an interview with Outlook (8 March 2024). As you say, perseverance and aspiration are the key to success, what other factors do you think play a role in the case of a woman? Do you think women have the opportunity to make choices?
Women do get a lot of opportunities to make choices, but I think they always put others comfort first before theirs. As the society is changing with the new generation, the identity of women and women’s choices are being looked at with a positive light. Girls have grown up seeing, the mother always taking a step behind the father, but in reality, the women of the house have been equal in managing crises or taking critical decisions. That was never highlighted before. I think, even if you are a homemaker, it is the women’s intellect and capability which needs to be respected and acknowledged, because it is equally difficult to manage a household, with limited resources along with the different demands of the family. I feel that being a successful woman is just not having a corporate position, it is the one who feels contented and respected for whatever she contributes to the society and to her family. We stop thinking ourselves as woman, not realizing that it is our first identity, the one we are born with. Our roles as a daughter, wife and mother come later in life.
As a woman in healthcare, what challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?
Coming into health care was by chance. It was a choice I had to make, as a mother to sustain myself and to bring up my daughter, who was my responsibility. Though the Health industry is managed by women force, the leadership role has its own limitations. Today, Indian Healthcare is changing. A lot of senior nursing professionals are taking up leadership roles in driving healthcare. The industry per say, has a very demanding job which at times is a blessing but most of the time it is a thankless effort, in case the patient’s outcome is not good. Unlike other industries, here we deal with death and sorrow quite often. A lot of value lies on the trust you earn from the patients who are your customer.
A background in the hotel industry in Kolkata, as you have explained in an interview with Samvad, has helped you in maintaining standards and demands at corporate hospitals. In what way?
Not being a doctor, and being a woman, the biggest challenge in healthcare was to convince the clinicians about your capability as a leader. The workforce unlike factories, do have standards but at times you as the decision maker of the hospital, have to bend rules to fit the requirement of doctors, nurses, patients and the financial implication of the company. There have been many times as a leader, I had challenges in bending down rules, in front of medical or organisational ethics to save a patient’s life. After which, you as a leader are answerable to many questions and financial liability of the organisation. But I stood up for the patient, and that is the blessing I have earned every time, I stand up for the right or the wrong.
How do you cope with the physical and emotional demands of your profession?
Hotel industry, is an industry, where one learns to be a perfectionist. Be it the distance between the furniture in the lobby to the perfect alignment of cutleries on the table. My tenure in the Taj Group of Hotels was an eye-opener for me because that is where I learnt about standards and customer satisfaction. Complying with service standards has been an addition in my knowledge through the hotel industry.
As I walked through the journey in the healthcare industry, I did realise that life is a straight line; it teaches us to cope up with two realities of life, birth and death, irrespective of age, caste or creed. As an administrator, there have many junctures, where I know that the patient will not make it but giving assurance and standing by people during their bad days has been quite an emotional adjustment. I was asked once, that what is the most difficult emotional situation you need to handle in this industry? Well, death is inevitable, but there have been many times, as an administrator you are dragged into situations which you are not responsible of. It is nature’s call, and once your time is over, you cannot tag it as medical negligence always. The hounding of the media and the little knowledge that patients get from the internet, cannot substitute the knowledge of a qualified doctor. It is very important to believe in your doctor.
What are your thoughts about affordable healthcare and in bridging the gap between rural and urban healthcare?
Healthcare in India is going through a very big change. But I still feel the percentage of GDP allocated to healthcare is very less. Healthcare is still a sector; it needs to be recognised as an industry. There is a huge gap between the demand and supply. The gap between affordability and luxury. The government alone cannot bridge the gap, hence 84% of the hospital beds are with private players. Healthcare, cannot be limited to an election agenda. The government needs to see the distribution of beds uniformly in all the states. Patient per bed is maximum in Karnataka and minimum in Bihar. India has six beds per 1000 population where WHO recommends two beds per 1000 population.
I feel healthcare has been made into a package today, be it government schemes or insurance. Our body cannot be made into packages always. But compromising in the cost and delay in payment from various government schemes, the private hospitals are struggling for financial sustainability.
You have been hailed as a CEO who specializes in transformation. Can you share your experiences?
My tenure in Kalinga Hospital Limited has been a very enlightening experience, where I had challenges to transform a 27-year-old-hospital, struggling to be afloat towards profitability, bringing about changes in infrastructure, and implementing the latest healthcare processes. It was not the transformation of the infrastructure only. I had to work very hard towards converting the mindset of the staff who have been working in the hospital for the last 27 years. It was about gaining trust of the employees’ union, about stopping pilferage which the employees were very used to. The biggest challenge was to run the hospital with limited funds, and work towards positive brand visibility. To make the employee value Google rating to teaching them customer satisfaction quality tools.
As a leader, I learnt to be assertive with the Board, at the same time stand up for the performers and eliminate the non-performers. Kalinga’s transformation in this 2.5 years of my heading it has been a milestone in the Odisha healthcare system. When I was given a warm farewell in my previous organisation, there were consultants, who said, ‘If anyone can change Kalinga, only you can do it or else it can never change’. Working with the Board of Directors who have set views, and trying to bridge the gap between procrastination of employees and bringing in accountability and professionalism has been a very big challenge.
You have received several awards, accolades. Elucidate your thoughts on such recognition.
Awards and accolades are always welcomed. I never expected that I shall be awarded for my achievements. But out of all these achievements, my biggest award was after my podcast in Argus TV, which not just got lakhs of views, but during my visit to the Keonjhar mines, a young girl came up and told me, ‘You are my inspiration, because very few women can voice their personal issues the way you have done.’
As a woman, I believe when we have got the opportunity by the grace of the Almighty, we don’t need to shout but we need raise our voice for those women who can’t speak for themselves. My message in the podcast was that a woman should not be judged with a failed marriage. Marriage is a phase in a human being’s life. She should be respected and judged for her capabilities and contribution towards society. Today, just because I am a Managing Director of a leading hospital, does not mean I am successful in everything. I have failed in some, and excelled in some. But to remain grounded and humble is very important because positions are short-lived, humaneness leaves a permanent mark.
Managing Director of Kalinga Hospitals Limited Bhubanewar
A Big aplogs for such a Commendable answers. Eachline is heart touching mam.🙏
It has been a beautiful journey to empower you Chinmay and see you manage your team so well.
I have seen you as a young Bohu in our family.The marriage broke but you and your care and love towards us never broke.
Your benevolence ,mental make up and character made you a darling of everybody.Make no mistake,your curve of ascendancy will go on and on.
You’ve taken something complex and made it feel like a peaceful walk through familiar terrain.
Applauds.. to your ability to shape your life that inspires thousands to shape theirs.. to your decisions which have helped thousands to take theirs, to your ability to leave your imprint behind to make people aspire for more, going out of thier comfort zones to create their own mark.. every step of your life showed the divine power within you to move on in life with positivity and courage.. God bless you, our champion..!!🙏🏼😇🥰💕