|
Charitable
hospitals need to understand the importance of management
Ram
Nath Prasad
 Most
of the trust managed charitable hospitals are affiliated to
different religious faiths. Several religious faiths like
Kabir, Sai Baba, Pranami etc (off-shoots of Hinduism) render
social services including running of hospitals. Though these
religious organisations are rendering good service they can
do even better.
Betterment of the service needs evalution of the existing
one. Therefore, the services of charitable hospitals which
serve a good size of our population need periodic evaluation
so that they can improve upon. Most of the charitable hospitals
(particularly small and medium size) do not pay attention
on improvement of the quality of their services. Since they
virtually do not charge anything (even if they charge, it
is nominal) from the patient, they presume that patient will
accept whatever is offered to him. This is a wrong presumption.
Whether they charge a fee or render free service, patient
should never be taken for granted.
There are many instances in trust run hospitals where newly
operated patients have lost their eyesights due to nosocomial
infections. Why does this happen? Reason is lack of awareness
among staff and ultimately it reflects on the management.
If they have efficient management, why should it happen? So,
such lapses can be attributed to poor management practices.
All hospitals - trust run or private ones, need money to support
their services. Private hospitals generate their resources
by charging fee from the patients. Trust hospitals do so mainly
in the form of donations. The donations are public money and
a proper planning is a pre-requisite before a single paisa
is disbursed. However, it does not happen. Also, there are
many wrong practices in such hospitals which are justified
on the grounds of ‘Manav Seva’ (service of human
being). I will give few examples.
Most of charitable hospitals do not differentiate between
rich or poor patients. Many affordable patients are taking
advantage of it, although charity is not for them. Charitable
hospitals lack proper mechanism and adequate managerial back
up to make such differentiation. Another instance is when
such hospitals are known to provide food to their patients.
Again it should be considered as an improper use of valuable
resources.
Patients come to them for good treatment. Food at that point
of time is not important. And that food is enjoyed by all
- rich or poor. How can it be justified? So, they are diverting
the resources for the purpose which is not right. Instead,
they should concentrate on improving the infrastructure of
the hospital.
They should improve upon quality of their staff. They should
correct their perception of management. Charity work too needs
to be properly managed. And if it is to be properly managed,
services of professional managers are required. Then, why
do these hospitals do not recruit professional managers? There
is a reason behind it.
The term ‘Professional’ is grossly misunderstood
by them. They look at the professionals as a class of people
who work for money, live for money and die for money. So,
professionals are untouchables - not fit for charity jobs
- for them. It is very sad. In my opinion, professionals are
those who care for their profession. If you are a doctor by
profession, it means you derive satisfaction from your job/profession
( giving the best treatment to your patients). The money which
you get as your professional fee, is secondary to you.
For a professional, money should never supersede the spirit
of service. Unfortunately, today, we have doctors and other
professionals who are least bothered for promotion of their
profession and they are just after money. It is deplorable.
But, it does not mean that there are no good people. You will
get good people provided first you be good. Let your objectives
and intentions be clear first. Good people will come to you.
This applies to charitable hospitals, too.
Charitable hospitals require help of professionals to sustain
their growth. Professionalism in management will help them
in the effective use of resources. Donations being public
money must be used accountably, economically and for the right
purpose. If they do not do it, it is moral corruption. Experts
are required to regulate the flow of scarce resources in right
direction. Therefore, trust hospitals must not consider the
expenses on such precious human resources as waste. If they
recruit an MBA, it is not a waste. Also, they must understand
the need of training for their doctors, managers, nurses and
other staff. If a certain percentage of their resources is
reserved for them, it cannot be called waste.
By not keeping proper and efficient staff, they increase the
invisible cost, for example, if they do not have proper staff
for a project, completion of project is likely to be delayed
and the project cost will go up. By not keeping trained nurses,
they are not rendering proper patient services, which will
increase number of dissatisfied patients. If they do not encourage
their doctors to undergo CME, their doctors will never match
the performance of their counterparts in private hospitals.
Ultimately it is charitable hospitals which suffer.
The charitable hospitals should understand that good service
does not mean free service. Similarly good staff does not
mean free staff. They should redefine their definition of
the term ‘service’. Good service means timely delivery
of quality service at affordable cost. Even the concept of
quality of patient care is not static. It is the patients’
delight or satisfaction which itself is dynamic. So, they
have to remain in tune with changing environment. They should
not misunderstand the patient’s satisfaction with free
service. Free service without attention on effective patient
services will never produce satisfied patients. So, are the
objectives of charitable hospitals served? No, they need to
do a lot to meet people’s aspirations.
(The author is hospital administrator at Sankalp
Hospitals Private Limited, Jamnagar. He can be contacted at
shpl_eye_ad1@sancharnet.in)
|
