A Guidebook For Aspiring Hospital Administrators

Dr Libert Anil Gomes

Handbook On Hospital Administration, Making a difference Authors: Prof Dr RK Sarma and Dr Yashpal Sharma Publishers: Durga Printers, Jammu 180 001 Pages: 694 Price: Rs 500

The process of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation (LPG) is fast changing various sectors of the economy and the industry. Healthcare industry too is witnessing major changes. As per recent surveys and studies by industry associations, Indian healthcare industry is set for a major growth with revamp and radical changes in the service delivery model and outcome. This necessitates the need to have dynamic healthcare administrators, who will drive the industry to greater heights and glory. Unfortunately, the training of healthcare managers has never been a priority in India. There are very few institutes offering specialised courses in hospital administration in India, which are witnessing a rise in the demand for trained and experienced hospital administrators. Also, there are very few books available on hospital administration from Indian authors. As books from foreign authors are expensive, it is difficult to acquire them. Towards this end, two of the India's eminent hospital administrators, Dr RK Sarma and Dr Yashpal Sharma, who have a long experience in hospital administration in the country's premier institutes, have bridged this gap by their 'Hand book On Hospital Administration, Making a difference'.

Prof R K Sarma is currently the Director of North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences, (NEIGRIHMS) Shillong. Dr Sarma earlier served as Medical Superintentendent and Profesor & Head of Department of Hospital Administration at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Dr Yashpal Sharma is the Medical Superintendent of Shree Gulab Singh Hospital (SMGSH) attached to Government Medical College, Jammu. The book has been edited by another well-known hospital administrator Dr Romesh Sharma.

The authors have indicated that the primary purpose of the book is to provide guidelines for medical professionals, who are preparing themselves for the position of hospital administrator.

The authors make substantial and genuine attempts to cover a vast and vital area in a concise book from their long practical experience in the field of hospital administration. The topics covered are exhaustive but comprehensive to meet the needs of the students and faculty of hospital administration. The handbook covers conceptual knowledge about hospital planning, design and administration. Authors have discussed hospital administration as a specialty in the beginning with a note on historical evolution, primary healthcare and the recent technological revolution in healthcare. In the second chapter, procedures and guidelines of hospital management are described, including organisational manual. In the subsequent chapters, various subjects such as clinical care services, nursing services and ward management, support services, hospital supply systems are discussed in detail. Communication system in hospitals and public relations, which play a vital role in hospital image and performance, are given due recognition. Hospital hazards pose challenges to today's administrators and the authors have described them in detail and the safety measures. Consumer Protection Act and medical waste management have drawn the attention of the public and the press, forcing the hospitals to set up elaborate, expensive systems to prevent the possible damages. Budget is often the difficult task for mangers to negotiate and allocate resources. This process has been made easier by the authors. Medico-legal manual is a value addition and extremely useful to hospital administrators while handling increasing number of medico legal cases. Emerging technologies, telemedicine and computer applications are also dealt with. Evaluation of hospital services, which is the prime area of concern for hospital administrators in today's competitive market, is well presented.

In the future editions, the authors could consider including illustrations and case studies to make it more easy to understand and to practice and discuss in groups. Latest developments in diagnostic services and hospital information system need to be included. Subject index needs to be added at the end. Further reading list and website reference would make it more informative. The authors have put substantial efforts in compiling a lot of useful information to hospital administrators in one volume, which makes it worth buying and makes for an inter esting read. This book is very useful for students and faculty of hospital/ healthcare administration.

The writer is Associate Professor& Incharge Head, Department of Hospital Administration, Katurba Medical College & Hospital, Manipal. Email: hospitaladmin.kmc@manipal.edu