Achievers

Express Healthcare highlights achievements of doctors and other professionals and contributors to the healthcare industry. To nominate your employees/colleagues for Achievers, mail healthcare@expressindia.com and we will get in touch with you!

A New High at 60

Associated with Jaslok Hospital since 1994, the graceful and dignified Kanta Masand (60) has recently taken on the mantle of the Managing Trustee (MT) of the prestigious hospital. The earlier MT, Singapore-based 85-year-old Murli Chanrai, who is her father, has become the chairman of the trust.

"My present responsibilities entail ensuring best patient care and keeping the board of trustees informed about general and financial working of the hospital," she states. Not deterred to take on more responsibility at this age, she becomes nostalgic about her initial years in the hospital. "When I started taking interest in the hospital, I did not know much about managing a hospital. But now I understand all the finer nuances," she mentions. Perhaps, her husband, Manesh Masand, being the CEO of the same hospital has helped her immensely. "It's a joy to share both personal and professional space with him," she blushes, and then after a brief pause adds, "Though we are together most of the times, we don't take work home."

A graduate in English from Mumbai's Elphinstone College, she unwinds by reading non fiction, travelling and tending to plants. With two daughters and one son, she claims to have no problem striking a balance between her professional and personal lives. "Women are inherently good at multi-tasking. Also, I am blessed with a great support system at home," she informs. And does she harbour the ambition of becoming the chairman, someday? "Not at all! My plate is full. I am more than happy with what God has given me," says the contented lady.

Back to Basics

He has gone back to what he enjoys the most—teaching. Pursuing his passion for academics, Dr Kishore Murthy (54) has recently joined the Indian Health Management and Research (IHMR), Bangalore as the Director. This is not his first stint with academics. Associated with various academic institutes as a guest faculty over the years, he also acted as an advisor to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences—helping them prepare the syllabus of the post graduate course in hospital and healthcare administration. "I believe one must give back to society and sharing knowledge and research is the best way of doing it," he quips.

After starting his career in 1976 as a resident administrator in hospitals like Moolchand and Holy Family, New Delhi, he shifted base to the Silicon city to work with St Johns Medical College as a lecturer. In his three decades of experience in healthcare, he has set up several hospitals (such as Puttaparthy Super Speciality Hospital, Bangalore Hospital, Hosmat), where he was involved from its conception, planning and commissioning. In between, he also worked as the National Senior Manager in charge of hospitals and healthcare with consultancy firm AF Ferguson & Co. He was the COO of Healthcare Global, before he left it for IHMR.

His involvement with research is deep rooted. He has been active with research on community-based problems in healthcare with focus on hospital and healthcare administration, especially evaluation of hospitals. He has been associated with various projects of the World Bank, UNDP, WHO and Government of Karnataka and Government of India as a consultant.

His hands are full at IHMR. He is busy setting up the new campus. After designing a 11-month fast track course on hospital administration, he is involved in planning an Executive MBA programme on hospital management (to be held during weekends), a three to five-day MDP for CEOs and CFOs on topics like quality assurance, accreditation, infection control, managing hospitals effectively and efficiently, medico legal systems in hospitals, organisational behaviour in hospitals and a MHA programme. He also plans to launch an on-line programme and a virtual classroom course within a year and also a fast track one-year PG programme in public health, mainly for the Government doctors, equipping them to deliver quality services and efficiently manage national health programmes. "I am also looking at tie-ups with various universities for the same," he informs.

A Step up the Ladder

This year is marked with many high-profile healthcare experts going for change of role and organisation. Anupam Verma (42), Former CEO of Khar project of Hinduja Healthcare, is one of them. After nine-long years with the Hinduja Group, he has recently assumed the role of the CEO of Indian operations of DM Healthcare Private Limited, a private equity firm which is a joint venture between IVFA and Dr Moopen's Group of Dubai.

An MBA with specialisation in marketing, Verma started his journey in healthcare as the CEO of Singhania-owned 100-bed PGR Hospital in Kota, Rajasthan. In 1999, when the Singhanias were exiting healthcare, Verma left the hospital for Mumbai. He joined PD Hinduja Hospital as Deputy Director-Administration in 1999 and in 2004, he became Director-Administration. From dabbling with day-to-day administration of PD Hinduja Hospital to building a new hospital in Khar to drastic shift in private equity now, he perceives his transition as a step up in the ladder. About his stint at Hinduja, he says, "I thoroughly enjoyed my years with Hinduja Hospital. But I wanted to have a more holistic approach to healthcare."

He shoulders broader spectrum of responsibility now. "I can create, acquire and make multiple institutions financially viable and according to my standards," he avers. To top it all, there is no limitation of funds. "We have a corpus in multiples of hundred million dollars," he informs. Currently, he is hunting for hospitals across India with at least over 100 beds or the capacity to scale up to 100 beds. He insists that his new role just does not entail number crunching. "It involves a lot of legwork as I have to visit these projects," he informs. He is looking forward to the challenge of levelling and integrating cultural differences of various places to create a synergy and setting high and uniform standards for all the institutions under one banner.