Hotseat

A Man of Honour

Director-General of Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital, Col Manesh Masand, is changing the charitable hospital to a modern, technologically advanced institute. Rita Dutta profiles the 61-year-old who holds honesty, uprightness and transparency above everything else.

An air of camaraderie always surrounds Col M Masand. Be it taking a decision or buying the latest equipment, managing funds for the hospital, battling it out with union leaders, giving orders (in which he takes delights) —he is ever smiling and cheerful, hospitable and never short of humour. But behind this demeanour lies a diligent and determined leader, who is fiercely loyal and committed to work and expects the same from others around him.

The Early Years

Col Masand's liaison with Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital began in 1993, soon after he left the army to join the Hospital as Director General. "I could not clear the next level in army and thought it was time, I moved on to something else," he recalls. But why Jaslok? "It was easy as my father-in-law MK Chanrai is the managing trustee of the Hospital," he chuckles.

And those who grudged that his claim to the top rung was by dint of his close proximity to the managing trustee, he proved them wrong. He had a challenging assignment in hand to turn around the Hospital, which was losing millions of rupees. "The hospital was bleeding because some employees were siphoning off funds and making money from deals. After I found proof of their mismanagement, I terminated their service within 24 hours," he states. With support from the trustees, he sacked more than 10 employees.

And as generally happens in such cases, he received calls from politicians and influential people to re-instate the sacked employees, and seven of the ex-employees went to court challenging their ouster. But Col Masand was firm. He won all the cases. His philosophy is simple: Everyone is innocent, till proven guilty. And dishonesty has no place in his books.

His other tasks involved sprucing up most of the equipment in the hospital that was either not working or not utilised well. He bought state-of-the-art equipment like 64 slice CT, IGRT IMRT Lineac, PET CT, 3 Tesla MRI and upgraded OTs and ICUs. Besides patient care, he emphasised on research work. Under his aegis, the hospital did its first bone marrow and liver transplant.

His quick decision-making ability and methodical working practices enabled him to change the system, which earlier functioned like a Government institute. He eschewed the system of 'too many bosses giving too many commands' by ushering in a single authority. "I did not like the system where a file goes from one desk to another and the outcome is slow. I believe in taking well-informed but instant decisions," he states.

The initial days were also marked with some disruptions. Used to his army ways of giving and receiving commands without anybody batting an eyelid, it dissatisfied him to notice that orders would evoke discussions. The answer was replacing civilians with former army officials. "I brought in a system that I was comfortable with," he informs. But after 14 years in the industry, would he take the same decisions today? "Yes, of course, if anybody challenges and argues with me, he is out of the hospital," he shoots back.

On a humbler note, he adds, "I arrive at a decision after weighing the pros and cons. If my decision is challenged, I am ready to quit. I always keep my resignation letter ready," he quips, smiling. And he did indeed put in his papers once, but acceded to the request of the management to stay back.

Col Bhim S Khemani, Executive Director, Jaslok Hospital, and his colleague in the army, says, "He is incredibly honest, fearless and transparent." Says Dr JP Sharma, Medical Superintendent, Jaslok Hospital: "He has a knack for getting the latest in medical technology for the Hospital."

His Personal Story

Born on August 12, 1945 in Sindh (now Pakistan), to a family of renowned businessmen, he studied at Jalandhar in Junior Model School, and later moved to a Government school in Class IX. He finished with a BA (History) and Political Science from DAV College, Jalandhar. Though born to rich parents, he claims that he was not pampered, as "we are four brothers and five sisters." After graduation he joined the army—a career that lasted for 25 years. Col Masand made a humble beginning, as second lieutenant for a mere Rs 400. He was posted in various places, including J&K, Jhansi and Ahmednagar. One of his memorable moments was the war of 1971, lasting from December 5-18. "In my 20s, the fear of the unknown always pervaded me. Fighting in the freezing cold was a matter of great pride," he recollects. In 1972, he married Nina, from whom he has two sons — Sasha and Sharan. "During the birth of my first-born, I was in Wagah for exchange of prisoners between India and Pakistan," he says. An amicable separation from Nina in 1992 saw him remarry hospital trustee Kanta, who has two daughters (Maleeka and Shonar) and son (Rishad). That he loves his family from his first marriage is apparent as his room has huge photographs of his sons. He also carries a picture of his first wife. "My separation from Nina and my remarriage was a difficult phase for everyone. But today, all of that is behind us and we are one big happy family," he says.

The Fruits

And his initiatives did see results. "Today, we are a self-sustaining Hospital. No more sleepless nights worrying about funds. We make sufficient profit to spend crores in purchasing equipment, paying decent salaries and indulging in charity. We did charity of Rs 8 crore last year," he informs. "It makes me proud to see even the sweeper in our hospital arrive in a two-wheeler and uses a cellphone."

Learning the Ropes

Col Masand has borrowed his management style from his early army days

Once the systems and processes were in place, it did not take long for Col Masand without any background in science to understand the functioning of a hospital or learn the latest technology. "I learnt about men and materials management in the army and it is not very different in any other industry," he claims.

He spent days in the OT and cath lab understanding various equipment and the dynamics of each department. "I understand them so well today that I could perform a CABG in the absence of a cardio-thoracic surgeon. I can detect blocks after studying angiography and even decipher an MRI and CT reports before the doctors can," he boasts.

He has recently returned from London understanding focussed MRI. “Today, I gave a presentation to the doctors about it,” he reveals. "You don't have to be a genius to understand medical technology, it's very simple."

But one situation that he finds difficult to come to terms with is greasing the palms of government officials to avail of permits. "I just can't accept that. I tell them they would have to come back to the hospital for treatment with the same money they are earning the wrong way," he states.

Spreading the Change

Col Masand never skips his early morning walks

Col Masand's latest obsession is enhancing the look of the 33-year-old Hospital. He has allocated Rs 3 crore for the purpose. "Besides the change in colour, we will have glass panels and steel added to the structure," he says. As expansion is not possible due to lack of space constraints, he is moving non-clinical areas to a newly built office in Thane. "The two floors will give us 4,000 square feet area on each floor, which can be utilised for more ICU beds and equipment." He is also planning a multi-storeyed parking lot and more lifts, but awaiting BMC permission. Another move is applying for NABH in July, to be followed by JCI.

He swears by patient care. He recently introduced electronic patient feedback form. He is also cautious about passing on the burden of technology to patients. "I am employing methods to reduce the cost of treatment. Today, I vetoed a proposal to increase cost of some procedures to almost double the amount," he says.

But he is not bound only by hospital duties. He is playing the role of a binding force cementing 57 members of Association of Hospitals (AoH), torn apart by opinions and lobbies. "I am trying my best to get everybody together," he urges, and adds, "I am the president, and people should listen to me and if they don't, I will quit."

Last year, AoH was in the news for opposing charity commission's order on the amount of charity a trust hospital must do. Col Masand says, "Why should we always defy Government order? Why can't we abide by them? Everybody has a duty towards the society and I don't think the Government is asking for much. In fact, we were doing much more charity before the order."

As president, he has written to the Government seeking a clarification whether the hospital has to register for VAT and also conferring an essential service industry status to healthcare. He is transparent about financial dealings of AoH. Is he keen on taking corporate hospitals as AoH members, after some evinced an interest? "Why would corporate hospitals want to become our members? Our agendas are different. However, if the governing body permits, I will welcome them," he states.

When Friends Say Otherwise

The tech-savvy Col Masand keeps himself abreast with the latest technology and acquires them for Jaslok Hospital

While his toughness and his volatile temper can make some people cringe, he is also a good friend and has a heart of gold, say friends. "Whenever people come asking for discount in treatment, he does not refuse," says a friend.

"If the hospital is making enough profit to do some charity, why should we not encourage that?" Col Masand asks. "He is full of life, very positive about everything and can weave his charm around people. He is a true Leo," says his beautiful and graceful wife Kanta.

But he is not a workaholic all the time. He loves to socialise and is a die-hard party animal. "I have many friends and I am often invited to parties, but I attend a few," he justifies.

Future

Such a vivacious man planning to retire by 65? "I do get tired of the daily grind of waking early and going to work. I want time off to play golf, relax in my house at Alibaug, indulge in photography and read voraciously."

Even if Col Masand stops taking an active interest in the hospital, one can be sure of his involvement through remote guidance, as the hospital is his family business. And his dedication, humour and zeal will always echo in the Jaslok corridors.

rita.dutta@expressindia.com