‘Doctors and management crucial for the success of a hospital’
Usha Holla - Pune

He and his medico friends took up the task of reviving the ailing Sanjeevan Hospital in Pune. And for Dr Dhananjay S Kelkar, it has been a mission accomplished with stupendous success — with an occupancy level of mere 5 per cent a decade ago, the hospital today boasts of almost 100 per cent occupancy besides a waiting period of not more than two weeks. ‘‘Within two years the hospital became self-sufficient,’’ he proclaims. There is more to his administration skills. Besides holding the reins of Sanjeevan Hospital, Dr Kelkar now handles the additional responsibility of being the medical director of upcoming Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital.

Although commercialisation of healthcare has become the order of the day, Dr Kelkar still has immense faith in providing the best of care to the poor and at affordable costs. ‘‘In healthcare, there is a clear distinction in the kind of facilities that are accessible by the rich and poor. Our aim has been to bridge this gap and provide quality care to one and all,’’ he says. And this zeal made him come back to India even after getting trained abroad and having stayed there for some time. ‘‘I tried to implement things that were followed internationally at Sanjeevan like introducing an audit system,’’ Dr Kelkar observed. And that’s a laudable achievement considering the fact that audit system was still a new concept in Indian hospitals in the early 90s. Working on a no-profit no-loss motto, there have been philanthropic gestures by Sanjeevan viz. no deposits from the patients for treatment, conducting around 1000 cataract operations every year, health awareness programmes, etc., Dr Kelkar explained further.

Right now, he is busy supervising the final construction phase of Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital as it is slated to be inaugurated on 26th October, 2001. This hospital too being built with a philanthropic motive, Dr Kelkar is more than happy to render his services. The 450-bed general hospital boasts of some unique features — 30 per cent beds free for poor patients; allopathy, ayurveda, homeopathy, yoga, all under one roof and like Sanjeevan, there is no need for advance payment.

The new hospital also has a few ‘firsts’ to its credit viz. it will have the first comprehensive voice disorder clinic and the first to have a fully digitised radiology department.

Dr Kelkar believes that special emphasis should be laid on the bed pattern in a new hospital. The Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital has a 92-bed ICU 72 normal and 20 neo-natal, one of the biggest in the country. Says Dr Kelkar, ‘‘World over, the pattern of bed distribution is changing. There are two distinctive sections — daycare and critical care which comprises the ICU and ICCU. This helps better utilisation of hospital beds.’’ Also various departments have been placed on particular floors and areas in the hospital so as to make their access easier for the staff as well as patients.

Going by the Sanjeevan example, Dr Kelkar is all set to script another successful chapter in Pune’s healthcare arena.