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An Advance Media
Publication MAY
2018
Advance Media Group
 A Health Journalism

The Gateway to Health & Medical World

Anupriya Patel Dr. Minnie Bodhanwala Dr. Manisha Karmarkar Monika Gupta Dr. Rita Bakshi Mala Vazirani
Union Minister of State of Health COO, Ruby Hall Clinic Director, Star Imaging & Chair Person, International Executive Director,
and Family Welfare, Govt. of India CEO, Wadia Hospital, Mumbai Path Lab, New Delhi Fertility Centre, New Delhi Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.
Wanowarie, Pune

Dr. Sadiya Vanjara

Hod, Physiotherapy Dept,
Preeti Sudan Noor Hospital, Mumbai Dr. Santwana Vernekar Dr. Vidushi S. Pandey Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh Dr. Suversha Khanna
Secretary, Health and Family CEO & Owner at ‘Sparsh 4.0’ MD (AIIMS, New Delhi), FRCS UK Regional Director of WHO President, Dharamshila Foundation
Founder Q-Team

WOMeN
Welfare, Govt. of India Healthcare Products. SuVi Eye Institute, KOTA (RAJ.) South-East Asia Region & Research Centre, New Delhi

LEADERS IN
HEALTHCARE

Prof. (Dr). Neelam Kler Pushpa Vijayaraghavan Dr. Pallavi Jain Govil Meena Ganesh Dr. Soumya Swaminathan Dr. Shilpa Desai
Department of Neonatology Director, Sathguru Management C. F. S., Directorate of Health Deputy Director General, CEO & Founder,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi Consultants, Hydrabad MD & CEO, Portea Medical SBM Healthcare Center
Services (M. P.), Bhopal WHO (Geneva)
 EDITOR
SPEAK

Women leaders in

Special Edition May 2018

Magazine 2018 Healthcare Sectors 2018
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 Women Leaders
CO N T E N T S
Anupriya Patel
04 06 Monika Gupta
08 Preeti Sudan
09 Mala Vazirani
10
Union Minister of State of Health
Dr. Minnie Bodhanwala Director, Star Imaging & Secretary, Health and Family Executive Director,
and Family Welfare, Govt. of India CEO, Wadia Hospital, Mumbai Path Lab, New Delhi Welfare, Govt. of India Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.

12 14 18 20 23
Dr. Santwana Vernekar Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh Dr. Rita Bakshi Dr. Manisha Karmarkar Pushpa Vijayaraghavan
Regional Director of WHO Chair Person, International COO, Ruby Hall Clinic Director, Sathguru Management
Founder Q-Team South-East Asia Region Fertility Centre, New Delhi Wanowarie, Pune Consultants, Hydrabad

24
Dr. Sadiya Vanjara
Hod, Physiotherapy Dept,
Prof. (Dr). Neelam Kler
26 28 30 Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
33
Noor Hospital, Mumbai Meena Ganesh Dr. Vidushi S. Pandey
CEO & Owner at ‘Sparsh 4.0’ Department of Neonatology Deputy Director General,
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi MD & CEO, Portea Medical MD (AIIMS) Kota
Healthcare Products. WHO (Geneva)

Scan QR Code &

Watch E-Magazine

34 Dr. Shilpa Desai

36 38 Dr. Pallavi Jain Govil
39
Dr. Suversha Khanna Dr. Neelam Mohan
President, Dharamshila Foundation CEO & Founder, Health Commissioner, Directorate
Medanta – The Medicity, New Delhi
& Research Centre, New Delhi SBM Healthcare Center of Health Services, (M.P.) Bhopal
COVER
STORY

The Most Dynamic Leader

& Health Minister- The Way Forward
Anupriya Patel
Union Minister of State of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India
Anupriya Patel (born 1981 in Kanpur,
Uttar Pradesh) is an Indian politician,
based in the state of Uttar Pradesh. She
is currently the Minister of State in the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India.
She was elected to the Lok Sabha, the
lower house of the Parliament of India
from the constituency of Mirzapur in the
2014 Indian general election. She was
previously elected as a Member of the
Legislative Assembly for the Rohaniya
constituency of the Legislature of Uttar
Pradesh in Varanasi, where she had
fought a campaign in alliance with the
Peace Party of India and Bundelkhand
Congress in the Uttar Pradesh legislative
assembly election, 2012
Life
Anupriya Patel is the daughter of
Mr. Sone Lal Patel, who founded the
Apna Dal political party that is based in
Uttar Pradesh. She was educated at Lady
Shri Ram College for Women and
Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University,
formerly Kanpur University. She has
a master’s degrees in Psychology and
also Masters in Business Administration
(MBA), and has taught at Amity.
Career
Patel has been president of Apna Dal
since the death of her father in October
2009. In 2012, she was elected as the
member of Uttar Pradesh Legislative
Assembly election, for the Rohaniya
constituency in Varanasi.
In the 2014 general election, Patel’s
party campaigned in alliance with the
Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Narendra
Modi. She was elected as Member of
Parliament from Mirzapur constituency.
After the election, there were rumors’
that the two parties would merge but
Patel rejected overtures intended to
result in that.

World AIDS Day: My Health, My Right Smt. Anupriya Patel, Hon’ble MoS, Health & Family Welfare,
Government of India was Chief Guest during the event. Ms.
World AIDS Day (WAD) is observed on 1st December every year
Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Dr. Bilali
across the globe. The observance of WAD is the commitment of
Camara, Country Coordinator, UNAIDS, Dr. Henk Bakedam,
the Government to strengthen HIV/AIDS response and providing
WHO Representative to India, Shri Sanjeeva Kumar, Additional
care & treatment to those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.
Secretary (Health) & Director General , NACO and Shri Alok
The day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the
Saxena, Joint Secretary, NACO graced the occasion.
fight against HIV, show their support for People Living with HIV
(PLHIV) and to commemorate people who have died from AIDS In the beginning of the event, an exhibition showcasing the
related illness. On WAD, awareness activities are conducted at services associated with National AIDS Control Programme
ground root level by the states involving communities, NGOs, (NACP) was inaugurated by Smt. Anupriya Patel. A short film
youth etc. WAD is important because it reminds the people and titled “Journey of NACO” on the successful completion of 25
governments that HIV has not gone away-there is still a vital need years of NACO was screened.
to create awareness, fight prejudice and educate people. Looking
back into the history, WAD was the first ever global health day,
held for the first time in 1988. Like every year, this year also,
National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), organised a
mega event in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (JLN) in Delhi. The
event was attended by more than 2500 people from civil society
organisations, community members, students from schools and
colleges, volunteers from NYKS, High Risk Groups (HRGs),
PLHIV representatives from NGOs, Development Partners and
officials from different government departments.

4 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018

 COVER
STORY

Regional Review Meetings of
National AIDS Control Programme-
North Eastern & Western Region
In the line of reviewing and evaluating progress
status of National AIDS Control Programme
(NACP), National AIDS Control Organisation
(NACO) conducted Regional Review Meetings
of North-Eastern Region and Western Region in
Shillong, Meghalaya and Mumbai respectively.
The aim of these Meetings was to review the
progress made by SACS in the last three years,
take stock of issues/challenges and provides
road map for adopting innovational approaches
for improving effectiveness of AIDS Control
Programme.
The Review Meeting for the Western Region was ITC Grand
Central, Mumbai in partnership with USAID and FHI 360.
Shri Alok Saxena, Joint Secretary, NACO chaired the meeting.
Project Directors from seven SACS / District AIDS Control
Society (Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Goa,
Maharashtra, Mumbai and Rajasthan), representatives from
health department, WHO, USAID, UNAIDS, CDC, FHI 360,
community representatives, officials from SACS and NACO
attended the meeting.
In the meeting, the Joint Secretary, NACO reviewed progress
made on all aspects of the programme. Linkage Project and Cluster
districts project were also reviewed. The presence of professional
associations like IMA, FOGSI, academic institutions social
sciences and medical, etc. were the highlights of the meeting. The
Epidemiological Fact-sheet: Volume II on Western States and the
Assessment of Blood Banks report were also released during the
meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Shri Sanjeeva Kumar, IAS, Additional

Secretary & DG, NACO. Shri. P.W. Ingty, Additional Chief
Secretary, Government of Meghalaya, Shri HM Shangpliang,
Secretary & MD (NHM), Department of Health & Family
Welfare, Government of Meghalaya were also present in the
meeting. Project Directors (PDs) of all the 8 State AIDS Control
Societies (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim & Tripura), representatives from the
health departments, Assam Rifles, prison department, CDC, FHI
360, community representatives, officials from SACS and NACO
attended the 3-Day meeting. The progress made in each and
every component of NACP (TI, Monitoring
& Evaluation, DAPCU, STI, Basic Services
including Counseling, Testing, HIV-TB,
elimination of MTCT of HIV and Syphilis,
Operational Research, IEC & Mainstreaming
and Lab Services) was meticulously
reviewed. Project Sunrise supported by CDC
through FHI 360 was also reviewed. The
meeting identified key areas wherein actions
need to be taken. The Epidemiological Fact-
sheet: Volume I on North Eastern States and
the Assessment of Blood Banks report were
also released during the meeting.

w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 5

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STORY

Striving for impact and

focused on results
The Strength behind success of
Dr. Minnie Bodhanwala

Shed some light upon your personal journey

to the Healthcare Industry since inception.
Every time I think about my journey in Healthcarefor the past
32 years I get a stronger perspective into my existence and
feel extremly proud about the same. My journey started with
dental practice. For me practice was not just seeing patients
but also being a teacher and mentor for so many students.
Time and again I had come across several instances where I
would take operational roles along with the routine practice,
one such opportunity was when I was associated with Impact
India Foundation for their “Hospital-on-Wheels” project to
handle functionalities as a Coordinator Surgeon to set up the
1st Dental Unit on the Train, I guess this was the turning point
in my life where I realized that I could reach a larger number
of people and create much more impact in the society as a
healthcare professional and thus got more inclined towards
the management aspect of Healthcare. Also I had always felt
that though our country has so many talented doctors there
was definitely a need for better healthcare management in
our country, the gap was because not all non-medicos could Dr. Minnie Bodhanwala
understand healthcare that well, a doctor could definitely CEO, Wadia Hospital
understand the management aspect better and hence I pursued
a MHA and a Doctorate in Professional Entrepreneurship.
Though I dearly miss teaching my students and treating my
patients I always make it a point in my management practice
to visit the hospital patients every day and interact with them
as to how we could serve them better.
Please comment your views on the growth of
Wadia’s Hospital.
I got the opportunity to work with Wadia Hospitals in
November 2012 when the Hospital was undergoing a major
crisis situation, I took this as a challenge and slowly started
working towards streamlining the transformation of both
the Hospitals. Other then the operational challenges the
infrastructure of the Hospital being a heritage structure has
been a challenge as well in terms of stability and expansion
of services. Infact when I had taken up the challenge both
the Hospitals were operational under one building, as other
building of Children Hospital had undergone structural

6 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m April 2018


damages in 2007-2008 and was not safe for patients. My
initial mission was to get the Childrens Hospital functional
and increase the scope of services with improved quality of
patient care and ensure safety for all patients.Streamlining
the hospital operations in weakened infrastructure with a
financial crisis was the biggest hurdle. It took a great deal
of strategic planning and hard work with patience in order to
reach the point we are at today and we are very positive we
will go much ahead in this journey with these Hospitals,not
only being amongst the best Hospitals in India but also in the
World. Our Chairman Mr. Nusli Wadia and Board member
Mr. Ness Wadia have been a great influence in my life. The
strong insight of our Chairman’s vision towards the goal
and driving us by mentoring new systems and techniques
to be adopted in spite of challenges and standing with the
team as one during crisis situation has inspired us a lot. With
support and strategic guidance we have been able to achieve
major transformations for the organizations. Proudly we
have achieved the same and today we have a fully functional
Paediatric hospital with 530 Beds.
What developments will shape Wadia’s growth
in near future.
Our Children’s hospital is the first dedicated Paediatric hospital
established in the country and the largest as well. Today the
hospital provide more then 30 super specialty services under
one roof, we have 7 OTS where complex surgeries like
cardiac surgery, neurosurgery etc. are performed. We proudly
host the largest NICU in the world with 150 beds. We also
have a nodal center for clubfoot disease in Maharashtra and
soon will start with our own Cath Lab, MRI centre and a
Bone Marrow Transplant unit. We are also looking forward
to establish an advanced Cancer treatment unit and Organ
Transplant centre. Our Maternity Hospital specializes in
offering affordable Obstetrics and Gynaecology services to
women across all the sections of the society; the hospital also
specializes in providing IVF care at a much-subsidized cost
and also has a human milk bank to help the children who are
not fortunate enough to get it. The maternity hospital would
undergo a major transformation soon starting with structural
stability being a nine decade old structure. What sets us apart
is the social impact that we create.
What are the challenges to grow or establish a
brand in Indian Healthcare market.
The industry is growing as always, but with increased
innovation and improvements in technology in the last few
years I see the industry to be growing faster and becoming
more challenging in the coming years. Well as we all know
there are no shortcuts to success, I have always believed
in building systems and implementing them to achieve the
desired results. Understanding problems and being creative
in solving them is something that could help establish a
COVER
STORY
successful brand in Healthcare. To recognise talent within the
system and utilisation of the same optimally is also one of the
key working areas.
What are the challenges associated with
heritage hospitals?
Yes I do agree that Heritage buildings come with their own
sets of challenges but when it comes to the Wadia Hospitals
our iconic buildings come with more then 9 decades of
expertise and strong sense of commitment to the society. Our
commitment lies not only in our expert staff, but also the
strong community around us the same supports us and comes
together as one for any set of challenges. Our biggest strength
here is the 9-decade-old vision of our founders to empower
the women and children for better health then and even today.
How do you provide quality healthcare at an
affordable price?
Well quality in healthcare should never be compared with the
price of the service; every patient deserves quality and safe
care at any healthcare institute. We have trained our staff with
the same vision and educated them on the various standards
of quality and patient safety in order to achieve the highest
level of patient satisfaction for them at an affordable price.
You have been associated with two heritage
hospitals for more than five years. How has
been the journey so far?
I couldn’t thank our Chairman and Board members enough
for giving me the opportunity and showing complete trust
in me. This journey has been the most challenging yet most
rewarding experience of my life.
During this tenure of 5 years I cant think of a single day
that has gone by where my mind has taken some rest for my
family, or myself. Day and night I am always focused on
how we could better our services for the patients and offer
all the services under one roof. Primarily my responsibilities
are focused towards strtegizing and achieving the objectives
and strive harder towards the vision and mission of the
organizations, I also dedicate a lot of time for positive change
management and team building across all the departments.
I woul describe myself as an individual who is striving for
impact and focused on results, I always believe in a realistic
approach for the everyday challenges I face and that has
helped me achieve the most difficult tasks with precision.The
hospitals have become a part of my soul and this is the level
of my commitment that gives me the sense of fulfillment and
purpose in my life though there is yet a lot to be achieved for
both the hospitals 
w w w.medegatetoday.com April 2018 7
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STORY

The Lady with Positive Attitude &

Believe in Quality and Accuracy
Ms. Monika Gupta
Executive Director
8 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
ED & Head of Quality & Patient Satisfaction.........
Ms. Monika Gupta D/o Dr R A Gupta heads the quality
piece & is well versed with all aspects of Pathology
& Radiology divisions which enables SIPL to stay a
step ahead of others and perform each test with utmost
accuracy as it is the basis upon which the business is
done. She is involved in the micro-analysis of each
process and is also the author of NABL manual which
highlights all our systems & procedures.
SIPL has been a ISO (DNV) certified diagnostic set
up for over a decade now and quarterly assessments &
yearly appraisals are handled by Monika single handedly
with the help of other HODs of various departments
which has enabled us to not only maintain but also
continuously improve quality standards. She is the
person behind the prestigious NABL accreditation also
as SIPL earned the rare distinction of being the very
few private diagnostic set ups in whole of NCR to get
NABL certification. Infact, it was the first pDC in whole
of North, West & Outer West Delhi to have achieved this
valuable accreditation, which stands for utmost quality
& accuracy of test results in the field of Pathology.
Interestingly, Monika is a keen observer & her response
time and non conformity closure time lines are better
than the best when it comes to patient query resolution,
customer satisfaction and patient conveniences. She
also has an eye for detail, just like her father & brother
and spends most of her time in resolving both internal
& external queries & also prepares & facilitates Root
Cause Analysis of any Non Conformity that may arise
in Operations, spl Lab, Her understanding of the
business combined by her unbiased approach
makes her the perfect candidate to Head the
Quality vertical, which has been ‘consistently
doing well in the past several years because of
her newer initiatives, positive thinking & hard
work. She is currently involved in exploring
the possibility of getting the prestigious
CAP (College of American Pathologists)
accreditation, I thereby making SIPL the only
private diagnostic set up in the country to
achieve this rare distinction.

A paradigm shift that impact the
leadership quality in multi-sectoral
vision of policy and implementation
Tell us about your journey as an IAS
into different domain?
As an IAS officer, we spend about the
first decade of our service in the field,
working as Sub Divisional Magistrates
heading the Sub-division looking after
both development and regulatory work,
as Joint Collectors attending to items
pertaining to revenue, administration and
public distribution and as Collectors, who
are overall in-charge of not only revenue,
development, regulatory but also law and
order situation in the district. This field
level experience is of critical importance
as it prepares you for leadership and
exposes you to a multi-sectoral vision of
policy and implementation paradigms.
Briefly, this challenge has been a great
learning experience which has enhanced
me at a personal level also.
How you are seeing yourself as a
Health Secretary and challenges?
As Health Secretary of a country of the size
of a sub-continent with huge diversities, I
see myself as being given an opportunity
to make a difference. The challenges are
huge, but then so are the opportunities. It
will be my endeavour to do my best.
Few women are in position of Director/CEO/
Health Secretary roles as a women leader
what will be your priorities for mother
and child, female feticide and women
empowerment, is there any programme to
protect and encourage women?
As a woman officer, one is empathetic to
the concerns of women and children. In an
earlier assignment, I had the opportunity
to work on ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’
initiative of the government which deals
not only child sex ratio but women
empowerment on a life cycle basis. These
issues are dear to me and women’s health
a priority. In the present assignment focus
is also on TB (our resolve is to end TB
by 2025), vector borne diseases, NCDs,
HIV AIDS and communicable diseases.
With Ayushman Bharat, we move towards
preventive and promotive primary health
care. Spreading awareness on healthy
living, creating mechanism for early
screening of NCDs-TB through health and
wellness Centres and providing financial
support to needy for hospitalization
expenses is the mandate of the initiative.
What are the upcoming projects in
healthcare for Medical education as
announced by Minister all district hospital
will be converted into Medical College?
The Ministry has taken up a scheme for
establishment of new Medical Colleges
by upgrading District/Referral hospitals.
In the first phase, 58 Districts and 20
States/UTs were identified and Rs.5,000
crore have been released to the States/UTs
under the scheme.
In the phase-II of this project, the
Government is ensuring establishment of
one Medical College in every Block of
three Parliamentary constituencies and
at least one government Medical College
in each State. Under this phase, 24 new
Medical colleges have been identified.
These new medical colleges will be
established at an estimated cost of Rs.250
crore/per college.
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STORY
To encourage Post Graduate Medical
Education, the Government is also
providing assistance of Rs.1.2 crore/per
seat to the Government Medical Colleges.
Please tell us about your flagship
Programme “Ayushman Bharat”?
The Union Budget 2018-19 announcement
of “Ayushman Bharat” rests on two pillars
of health care delivery – Comprehensive
Primary Health Care with effective
systems of referrals for continuum of care
and financial protection for secondary and
tertiary care hospitalisation with family
coverage upto Rs.5 lakhs. Ayushman
Bharat looks at health in a holistic
manner and is designed to cover primary,
secondary and tertiary care of the poor
population in a seamless manner.
Ayushman Bharat will be operationalised
through network of Health and Wellness
Centres for comprehensive primary
healthcare that includes preventive
and promotive health and Pradhan
Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha
Mission for secondary and tertiary care
hospitalization.
About 1,50,000 Sub-centres and PHCs
would be transformed as Health and
Wellness Centres by 2022 and this is
planned to be taken up in phases. The
Health and Wellness centres would
provide an expanded package of primary
health care services. Given the alarming
threat of the emerging burden of non-
communicable diseases accounting for
62% of all mortality in adult men and
52% among women the Government
has already initiated universal screening
for prevention and management of
five common communicable diseases;
hypertension, diabetes and three common
cancers – those of the oral cavity, breast
and cervix for individuals above thirty
years of age. The other services would be
added incrementally.
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 9
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STORY

The Medical Device Industry

has the capability to become a
growth engine for the economy
Describe yourself as a woman Leader? Right from day one, we have strongly trusted and therefore
believed in empowering our workforce with all the necessary
In the 80’s, my husband, Suresh Vazirani had a passion, a dream, training tools and information for smooth day-to-day operations.
a desire to provide accurate and affordable diagnosis for patients
In our company all my colleagues at work are a part of my
across India, for which he founded a small business, supported
extended family and so we try to be together for each other in this
by his brothers. I found this to be a very worthy and necessary
adventure of life. We love to celebrate festivals and everybody’s
mission and decided to work together with him, leaving my own
successes, both small and large.
job with Diners Club credit cards. All I knew was that we were
on this journey called life and we had to have one vision, one goal
and unwavering commitment, which was expressed through our Ms Mala Vazirani
work together. It was with this attitude that I approached life in Executive Director, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.
general in all spheres, family and social, while all along playing
a pivotal role in our business. This mission became the center of
our lives and would later evolve to become India’s Leading In-
vitro Diagnostic Company!
It has been a fabulous learning experience, a purposeful, satisfying
journey if not entirely a perfect one. As you would imagine,
despite all our attempts to lead a balanced life, we, our families
and those of our senior team members, often had to make a lot of
personal sacrifices, because of our commitment and care to our
customers that resulted in long extended work hours, forgoing
social life, and family dinners. Especially in the first 20 years, the
business demanded unstinted attention and one had to nurture it
in a highly responsive way. I truly appreciate and acknowledge
the sacrifices made by my team as well their families; without
their support, it wouldn’t have been possible.
This is where as a woman I rely on my intuition to care for people,
prioritize issues requiring attention and resources. As always, I
find myself trying to balance between immediate transitory gains
and long-term benefits. In doing so, while one can never achieve
the perfect balance and please everyone, however, I can say that
my conscience and I are still good friends, and I can sleep well
without any guilt of compromising my personal value system.
Another important aspect of being a woman in business is the
ability to see beyond logic and numbers, which though important,
overshadow “feelings”. Our doctors, our end-users including the
patients, our employees and we ourselves are human. And so, I
take special efforts to ensure that people’s feelings are accorded
due importance. We have built these values into our business
processes and policies. Besides, through the various employee
Mrs. Mala Vazirani with Mr. Suresh Vazirani
welfare and engagement programs we assist them in improving
Chairman & Managing Director, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd.
their skill sets and taking on additional responsibilities.

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Initially, when I joined the company, of the seven people working
with us, only two were women. The general policy was to hire
only male engineers and technicians. The good news is that we
have changed and are gender neutral when it comes to recruiting
the most capable person for the job, and so often enough it’s
the women who get selected! And having many women in the
workplace is one way to ensure a healthy work culture and instill
confidence and a sense of security in women in the workplace.
What are the challenges you faced as a woman
leader in the Medical device sector?
The challenges I faced were not so many in the business space
but more on the home front. Travelling for business and work,
meant long hours and days away from home, and providing a
secure and happy home environment for my children was my
greatest challenge. I am very grateful to my parents and some
wonderful friends who generously and lovingly filled this gap. It
would not have been possible to grow the business without them.
On the business side, there was a great demand for medical devices
from our customers. Largely imported from the West and Japan
in the 80s and 90s, they were very expensive and unaffordable
to most pathologists. Providing affordable diagnostic systems
became our key motivation to design and manufacture these
products in lndia. In fact, we were even able to export them to
China as they were also not manufacturing.
Another key challenge was to find people who are as committed
as you are. It was quite a task finding people with the right skill
sets, experience and necessary competence.
We also faced a resource constraint since, unlike today, banks and
venture capitalists were averse to financing start-ups like ours.
How do you plan strategies - Business
development, new product innovations etc.?
Our focus is not merely on maximizing profits for the company;
rather we have more serious targets for customer satisfaction. All
that we do in India and across our global subsidiaries, revolve
around our vision of being committed to a Healthier and Happier
World through innovative products and services that meet
customer needs.
How has been the growth of the Medical
Diagnostics equipment market in India?
Do you see any momentum?
The Medical Device Industry has the capability to become a
growth engine for the economy, create jobs, raise GDP and
become a net Foreign Exchange Earner larger than the infotech
industry. Globally, exports of medical devices contribute trillions
of dollars to economies of the USA, EU, China and Japan. Less
than 20% Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Afghans, Nepalis,
South Americans, Egyptians and Africans have access to effective
medical services, 80% don’t have access to any meaningful
or effective modern medical services. To understand the size
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of the opportunity, one needs to know that the country has a
huge 70% import dependency in this sector while just serving
20% of the population. Whereas for the Indian economy, with
lakhs of educated unemployed, a robust Indian Medical Device
Industry would serve not just India but also the world at large.
By encouraging the manufacture of import substitutes, we would
be giving a huge boost to the economy, thereby, creating lakhs of
jobs, giving employment and livelihood to millions if we were
able to take advantage of this huge market opportunity.
How is Transasia a leader in IVD products?
Leaders provide answers and solutions and Transasia does
exactly that. Without waiting for government grants, we invest
heavily into innovation and manufacture affordable products
for the poorer countries of the world. We are committed to the
diagnosis of diseases of the poor such as tuberculosis, hepatitis,
malaria and dengue. The big MNCs of the western countries have
no interest in researching or producing for developing countries,
as they are not lucrative markets. We adopt the latest technologies
from our global subsidiaries and customize it to meet the needs
for early diagnosis and treatment of a range of health disorders
of the people in countries such as Africa, South Asia and South
America. In line with our commitment, we recently launched the
ErbaQik range of rapid tests with unique features, for accurate
dengue and malaria detection and treatment in response to the
rapid spread of the disease in India.
What is unique about Transasia?
At Transasia, we, i.e. Suresh, myself, the senior team, our long
service employees as well as our youngest recruits, all believe
and clearly understand that we are here to partner with medical
professionals in hospitals and labs for the treatment and recovery
of the patients in the shortest possible time. Our role is to provide
the tools and training to empower them for accurate diagnosis of
the disease. Our work for 40 years now has been consistent and
as a result, we are acknowledged and trusted by customers to be
their strength inside the lab, which is the common critical service
that all medical specialties depend on. After all, every patient
deserves the best prognosis and treatment. And in Transasia, we
make it a point to never forget this and hence offer total solutions
for clinical diagnosis backed by dedicated application support
and after-sales service.
We are very happy that our life’s work is inspiring many young,
talented as well as senior, experienced people from a dozen
countries in all spheres such as medicine, science, information
technology, marketing, etc. to join the company, including our
son, so that the company may continue to grow and have this
dedicated focus.
Going forward, we plan to keep the focus on our corporate
purpose and values, as much as on cutting-edge research and
development by our global teams in technologies like molecular
diagnostics for India and the emerging world countries.
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 11
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A Dynamic Leader in
Healthcare Quality & Education
I pledge to spread
awareness of quality in
healthcare to tier 2 and
3 cities of India and to
train them through a
strong team of stalwarts
and experts in the team.
Tell us about your journey into healthcare
since your inception?
It’s been a pretty log journey but I’m glad I’m on the right path.
I started off in the year 1997 as an Application Specialist for
a Medical Electronic Division. Quality was a core factor
there. Working there, developed my interest for quality
in field of diagnostics . In the year 2003, I started my own
Biotech Pathology Lab and later, in the year 2007, converted
it into a Diagnostic Centre. The primary focus was providing
accurate and quality reports within shortest TAT. Moreover,
as our CSR Activity we were focused on providing special
services to economically weaker sections , Senior Citizens and
Defense personnel’s of the society. This unique move by my

Dr. Santwana Vernekar
Founder Q-Team
Organization gave a vision to many to start such activities as a
return to the society.
In the year 2011, I started working as a Biochemist in Nanavati
Hospital. There again, the prime focus was quality and training.
I faced a lot of hurdles but was determined to achieve and , I
worked onto make my people realize about ‘quality’ through
various awareness trainings and auditing. My main aim was to
take Quality to the Next Level. For this I kept improving my
knowledge and obtaining Six Sigma green belt and a Doctorate
in Management helped me further to share my knowledge with
everyone. My management was very kind in providing me the
resources.

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In Jan 2017, I came up with ‘Q-Team’- which stands for Quality-
Training and Education in Accreditation and Management.
Q-Team is basically pioneer into training and education for
hospital and healthcare organizations. Here in Q-Team, we
have more than 45 trainers from all over the country. They are
experts and Stalwarts in their area of expertise and we all share
the common platform Q-TEAM to spread knowledge.
My focus , diligence and determination got me awarded on
several platforms of national and International Level.
Please elaborate your expertise into
healthcare quality management.
I have been successful in helping healthcare organizations
attainbest quality practices and certification/ accreditation ,
without the support of a consultant or a handholding. Being
a Six Sigma- Green Belt and an Auditor , Lead assessor and
Principal Assessor, I have gained and shared my knowledge at
all platforms.
I am recognized for my unique quality and training skills. I have
a unique way of quality assessment and training techniques.
Me and my Team, carry a unique style for training.
As a woman leader and entrepreneur, what
are the challenges that were faced by you?
Answer: It’s a known fact that success doesn’t happen
overnight. Things take time; it demands hard work, patience,
dedication and enthusiasm. While starting up my own
business, I faced a number of challenges that came on the way
of their growth. They go through and counter various issues
of acceptance not only from the family and society but also in
the corporate world where they go through prodigious hurdles.
Dealing with men was one such major hurdle. Most would
consider any given field to be male-dominated. It’s even more
of a challenge when you’re coming in as a woman having to
give direction to men that may not want any direction.
While dealing with opposite Gender
Many women may feel as though they need to adopt a
stereotypical “male” attitude toward business: that is,
competitive, aggressive and sometimes overly- harsh. But just
like most successful female CEOs, I too believe that remaining
true to yourself and finding your own voice are the keys to
rising above preconceived expectations. I have also faced my
set of such experiences but overcame these strategically.
Building up a support network
Knowing where to find the right support network isn’t always
easy. I had to smartly and diligently deal with the people for
support network, be it my family, my mentors or people who
worked with me.
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Balancing professional and family life
Work-life balance is a goal for many entrepreneurs, regardless
of their gender, but mothers especially of teens, who start
businesses have to simultaneously manage family and
company. And in this area, traditional gender-expectations
often still prevail. I’m thankful to my daughter and son for
being co-operative and understanding my responsibilities
towards my passion. In fact they started supporting me in their
free time in the best possible way. Being an Event Manager
herself, my daughter got involved into projects where her
expertise helped my streamline activities. As a proud mother,
I could give Quality time to my children rather than Quantity
time.
The fear of failure
Being a woman entrepreneur brought up a lot of challenges in
life and the major challenge was failure. I had to go through
lots of “NOs” and then to get that one “YES” that can change
my work life positively and help in achieving success. For me,
Patience and Acceptance played an important role. “Action
speaks louder than words.” I was just being confident about
my dream and was of the notion that let the world hear what I
could do and plan to do.
Please let us know about your initiative
about Q-Team.
As I just mentioned, Q-Team stands for Quality- Training and
Education for Accreditation and Management and our motto
is, ‘We strive for excellence… yours and ours’. Q-team is the
pioneer in innovative healthcare education and implementation.
We believe that quality is no accident, instead it is a result of
high intention, sincere efforts, intelligent directions and skillful
execution.
As a founder of Q-Team, I took a pledge on April 6, 2017 at the
Medical Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi , to spread
awareness of quality in healthcare to tier 2 and 3 cities of India
and to train them through a strong team of stalwarts and experts
in the team. We are glad our perseverance has led us to success
by training more than 5000 healthcare professionals in more
than 100 training sessions through out the country
We at Q-Team aim to head on a path of building international
reputation as a leader in training and mentoring organizations
to be capable of handling audits and assessments on their
own and thus, eliminating external agents/ consultants. I feel
immense pride in sharing this with you that we have recently
been awarded with Six Sigma Healthcare Excellency Award,
2017 for Best Quality Training Organization of the Year.
“ The Journey Continues”
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A Global Thinker on
Universal Healthcare Coverage
The promise of a healthier, more equitable
and secure South-East Asia Region
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh
Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Region
Dr. Poonam, Please tell us about your story
since inception to our beloved readers from
healthcare sector?
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, an Indian national, became the
first woman to assume the office of WHO Regional Director
for South-East Asia on 1 February 2014. Dr Khetrapal Singh’s
priority areas of work in the Region are:
 Addressing the persisting and emerging epidemiological and
demographic challenges;
 Promoting universal health coverage and robust health systems;
 Strengthening emergency risk management for sustainable de-
velopment;
 Articulating a strong regional voice in the global health agenda.
She served for over two decades as a civil servant in India as
member of the Indian Administrative Services. She was the
Health Secretary of the State of Punjab, with a population of
27 million and a health budget of US$ 350 million.
14 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
In 1987 she moved to the Health, Population and Nutrition
Department of The World Bank. In 1998 she joined WHO
headquarters as Executive Director, Sustainable Development
and Healthy Environments Cluster, and a member of the Di-
rector-General’s Cabinet. Dr Khetrapal Singh served as WHO
Deputy Regional Director for the South-East Asia Region
from 2000 to 2013. In February 2013, she joined the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India as
Advisor for International Health, where her principal task was
to strengthen global health outcomes and provide guidance to
the Ministry to take forward the international health agenda.
Dr Poonam Singh has devoted more than three decades to
strengthening public health as a leader and manager at national
and international levels.
Dr. Singh has vast experience in translating scientific evidence
into policy in complex state, national and international health
systems through direct experience of managing low resourced
health systems, leading large multi-sectoral teams and collabo-
rating with global partners and public health leaders for deliv-
ering results in the crucially important area of health.
Her vision is reflected in building a strong, result based and re-
sponsive regional office that gives cutting edge advice, which
is key to developing the best policies and strategies, and stim-
ulates the best research to support Member States in protect-
ing and improving the health of their people. This is of utmost
importance at this critical juncture of the end of the era of the
Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, and the dawn of
the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.
The SDGs present an unprecedented opportunity to look at
health development as an integrated part, indivisible part of
the overall development paradigm which will require collabo-
ration beyond just the health-related players.
In this, Dr. Singh’s experience and committed leadership will
help in achieving the goals of improving physical and mental
health of all at all ages and leaving no one behind through a
stronger systemic approach and more integrated, multi-sec-
toral and holistic development strategy, particularly in the sce-
nario of dwindling international development aid.
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, as the Regional Director of
WHO, which is the key international technical agency col-
laborating with Member States, exclusively on health issues
at global, regional and country levels, has ensured significant
progress in the regional flagship priority areas.

She is dedicated to further leveraging her vast international
and national experience to develop and reinforce partnerships,
bringing together the full spectrum of public health stakeholders
including policy makers, researchers, scientists, academicians,
practitioners and civil society, and managing the regional office
and its resources for result based public health outcomes.
What are the agenda of WHO for South East Asia
you are working for? Ques5.What is your vision,
Mission & future planning?
I take charge as Regional Director at an important moment in
the history of public health and at a critical time in the evolution
of WHO. I do so in all humility, knowing full well the challeng-
es that lie ahead.
The public health arena is changing fast. The paradigm shifts
are evident in the agendas of the World Health Assembly and
Regional Committee meetings over the past decade. The domi-
nance of communicable diseases, inspite of their continued rele-
vance, stands eroded. Noncommunicable diseases, Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), universal health coverage, intel-
lectual property rights, virus sharing, essential and affordable
medical products and the impact of socioeconomic and envi-
ronmental determinants on health are increasingly engaging the
time and attention of our Governing Bodies.
My vision
I propose an ambitious “1 by 4” plan. The 1 refers to a more
responsive WHO in the Region and the 4 refers to the 4 strategic
areas:
 Addressing the persisting and emerging epidemiological and
demographic challenges.
 Advancing universal health coverage and robust health systems.
S  trengthening emergency risk management for sustainable
development.
 Articulating a strong Regional voice in the global health agenda.
Addressing the persisting and emerging
epidemiological and demographic challenges
Member States in the Region have made spectacular health
gains in recent years with concerted national efforts.
The most impressive achievement is the eradication of wild po-
liovirus. A few months from now, this Region is likely to be cer-
tified polio-free. This is certainly a testimony to the capability
of the Region. This success must be replicated for other vaccine
preventable childhood killers to fully protect all children from
premature morbidity and mortality. We join the United Nations
Secretary General in recognizing the achievements of Bangla-
desh and Nepal in MDGs 4 and 5.
We are progressing steadily in combating diseases enunciated
in MDG 6. Since 1990 tuberculosis mortality has declined by
40% and malaria kills 82% fewer people. Maldives continues to
be malaria free. The HIV epidemic in most of the high-burden
countries has been reversed. However, we need to work together
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to protect these gains from the menace of drug resistance and
coinfections.
Microorganisms continue to surprise us. These caused the in-
fluenza pandemic, SARS and avian flu leading to international
chaos. The global response against these events is the Inter-
national Health Regulations (2005). IHR demands substantial
scaling-up of national capacity. We must enhance this capacity
for ensuring health security in our Region.
While our fight against communicable diseases continues un-
abated, the escalating epidemic of noncommunicable diseases
(NCDs) is stretching health systems. More than half of our mor-
tality is caused by cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory
diseases, cancers, and diabetes. It is a matter of concern that
a third of these deaths occur in people under 60 years of age.
Unhealthy lifestyles, unwholesome food, and increasing alcohol
and tobacco use are major behavioural risk factors. Sri Lanka
has taken the lead in our Region in declaring 2013 as the year
of preventing NCDs. Ten countries have adopted legislative and
administrative measures to curb the tobacco menace. Health
promotion and primary prevention of NCDs is critical. Preven-
tion requires multisectoral actions from multiple stakeholders
in nonhealth sectors whose policies have adverse health effects.
Mental health is generally neglected. We need to integrate men-
tal health services as part of primary care. Malnutrition in chil-
dren under five is very high and needs to be addressed through
a set of integrated interventions and multisectoral approaches.
The maternal mortality rate among young women continues to
be worrisome. Pregnancies must be made safer than they are to-
day. Gender-based violence needs to be tenaciously addressed.
Tobacco consumption among women, including smokeless to-
bacco, has to be reduced. Our populations are ageing at an un-
precedented rate. People aged above 65 will soon outnumber
children under the age of five. We are committed to promoting
health and well being across the whole life course.
Advancing on universal health coverage and
robust systems
With its three dimensions of access, affordability and quality,
universal health coverage (UHC) is the most important game
changer in public health. Thailand has successfully made avail-
able to its entire population a health system that provides access
to affordable, comprehensive, quality health services. We need
to share Thailand’s experience across the Region.
Improving access requires overcoming four main barriers: geo-
graphical, technological, social and financial. These are not
insurmountable. Efficient implementation of the telemedicine
project in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has demon-
strated the reach and utility of technology to far-flung areas of
this nation beset with difficult terrain. There is untapped oppor-
tunity to improve access to health through new cost-effective
technologies. Research, innovation and affordable health tech-
nologies need to be encouraged.
The WHO South-East Asia Region has the highest out-of-pock-
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 15
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et spending on health and relatively low public investment in
health. This is a key cause of overall inequities. In 1978, Al-
ma-Ata showed the importance of primary health care rooted
in the community and attuned to its economic, social and cul-
tural aspirations. With escalating NCDs and ageing, health-care
costs will spiral upwards. A comprehensive approach is needed
to meet people’s expectations. Our health systems must deliver
quality preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative health
services. Public–private partnerships could be a pragmatic way
to complement the efforts of the public sector. The Rural Health
Insurance Scheme from India holds valuable lessons for public–
private partnerships especially those for the poorest.
Increased access to essential, high-quality and affordable med-
ical products remains a major concern. The pharmaceutical in-
dustry, regulatory authorities and even the judiciary have roles
ensuring universal access to quality medicines. Prices, patents,
generic versions and innovation drive pharmaceutical markets.
Intellectual property issues carry global sensitivity and com-
plexity requiring deft navigation. While innovative approach-
es are needed to encourage medical research and development,
flexibilities in international agreements provide access to those
who cannot afford high prices. The right balance must be sought.
In addition, cost-effective procurement mechanisms need to
be explored. We must facilitate this especially for countries in
greatest need, such as Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Maldives, and Timor-Leste.
Delivery of quality health services is possible through adequate
production, management and training of health workforces,
backed by appropriate infrastructure and functioning referral
systems. Critical shortages, inadequate skill mix, uneven geo-
graphical distribution, internal migration from rural to urban
areas or public to private sectors are challenges that need to be
addressed through renewed approaches regarding their produc-
tion, education and training as well as their working conditions
and remuneration. Health workforce strengthening will be given
utmost importance.
Strengthening emergency risk management
The WHO South-East Asia Region is extremely disaster prone.
The World disaster report 2012 reveals that in the past decade,
41% of global mortality from natural hazards was in countries
of the Region. The Tsunami of December 2004, taught us sev-
eral lessons. Member States were instrumental in establishing
the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund in 2007,
which has helped meet immediate financial needs of our coun-
tries for a quick response in emergencies. The 12 Benchmarks for
Emergency Preparedness and Response have received global rec-
ognition and provide a framework for national capacity-building.
Political conflicts have been as challenging. Timor-Leste, during
its struggle for independence in 2002, had 70% of its infrastruc-
ture destroyed and 70% of its population displaced, which had
a significant impact on its health systems and the health status
of its people. However, the country has exhibited exceptional
progress in its rehabilitation, reconstruction and rebuilding ef-
16 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
forts. We need to take a holistic approach and integrate preven-
tion, risk reduction, preparedness, response and recovery. We
must make disaster risk reduction an integral part of national
strategies and sustainable development policy.
A strong voice in the global health agenda
South-Asian thinkers have led the international debate on health
and development – from Professor Amartya Sen’s seminal
work on the human development index that emphasized social
development, to the global attention that Bhutan has drawn on
gross national happiness as a guiding principle for the post-2015
MDG agenda.
In this era of interdependency and cooperation, stronger voices
are generated through alliances and partnerships. The Tsunami
demonstrated the multisectoral and multicountry coordinated
support for immediate response and rapid recovery. We will
strengthen existing partnerships and engage in new ones.
To deliver effectively on these four strategic areas, the WHO
Regional Office for South-East Asia needs to be more respon-
sive and align with the health needs of Member States. The
time-tested “honest broker” role of WHO shall be assiduously
augmented through human resources of the highest calibre with
proven competence, commitment and a focus on:
 Providing technical and policy support that is objective and
apolitical;
 Mobilizing expertise for institutional- and capacity-building
in countries;
 Supporting ministries of health in coordinating all stake-
holders including development partners around the national
health agenda.
Our diversity is a rich one. We belong to a Region that is blessed
with some of the best health experts, state-of-the-art collabo-
rating centres, finest medical facilities and a booming pharma-
ceutical industry. We will promote intercountry cooperation. We
must work to create a common vision that builds incrementally
on each and every country’s strengths and capacities, that shares
information and best practices, and uses local and regional net-
works for capacity-building.
My vision is to partner you in eliminating gross health inequali-
ties and enhancing human welfare. My vision is to augment the
capacities of all Member States so that our Region is recognized
for its intellectual vigour and evidence-based decision-making.
My vision and determination are to make the WHO South-East
Asia Region an excellence-pursuing, responsive, and account-
able organization. My vision is to make our Region globally
known as a leader in public health.
What is your take on universal health coverage
robust system and your priorities?
The promise of universal health coverage (UHC) is bold: that all
people can access quality health services, when and where they
need them, without suffering financial hardship.
UHC’s benefits are clear. UHC is central to improving health

and well-being – a fundamental human right. Healthier popula-
tions in turn create more productive economies that raise living
standards. UHC also strengthens health security by making it
easier to contain the spread of infectious disease and respond
effectively to natural disasters. UHC’s potential to promote bet-
ter health, enhance equity and fortify health security can – and
must – be fully harnessed.
Importantly, UHC is feasible: Whether a country is rich or poor,
progress is possible. Some countries, including in the WHO
South-East Asia Region, have already made significant advanc-
es. They began doing so when they were ‘low-income’. That is
a critical point: No-one starts from zero; there are always oppor-
tunities to move ahead.
Since 2014 WHO South-East Asia has worked to leverage those
opportunities, identifying UHC as a Flagship Priority, and – in
consultation with Member countries – mapping-out and imple-
menting a series of game-changing initiatives.
That includes increasing the availability and performance of
health workers and ensuring their knowledge and skills are fit-
for-purpose for today’s (and tomorrow’s) health needs. It also
includes attracting health workers to rural and hard-to-reach ar-
eas and retaining them once there. Adapting frontline services
to meet the needs of the Region’s ageing populations, as well
as the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)
such as diabetes and heart disease, has likewise been a crucial
point of focus. That can be well understood: Apart from the
Region-wide shift to increasingly sedentary lifestyles, by 2020
more of the Region’s population will be over 60 than under-5.
Increasing access to essential medicines has been similarly fun-
damental. Innovative mechanisms such as the South-East Asia
Regulatory Network, which pools the Region’s regulatory re-
sources, will go a long way to helping make safe, good quality
medicines and medical products accessible to all. So too will
present efforts to encourage greater price transparency via a
multi-country information-sharing platform. A Region-wide
initiative to pool the procurement of medicines, beginning with
antidotes, will meanwhile benefit its smaller countries by in-
creasing their bargaining power.
In each of these areas and more, progress has been made. Ac-
cording to the latest data, in the last eight years health services
coverage has improved in all of the Region’s 11 Member coun-
tries. That is to be celebrated.
But Region-wide challenges remain immense. Around half of
the South-East Asia Region’s population still lacks full coverage
of essential health services. Some 65 million are pushed into
extreme poverty, mainly due to paying out-of-pocket for medi-
cines, especially for NCDs and other common ailments.
Given the Region’s sustained economic growth, accelerated
progress is both possible and necessary. Though action across
sectors is essential to enhance health coverage, priority health
programmes clearly play a major role. But to make health ser-
vices truly universal they must be designed around and for peo-
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ple, rather than around diseases or institutions. Doing so will
have immediate and lasting impact.
Accordingly, increased public spending on health is crucial.
Increased public spending not only makes additional resourc-
es available – from more staff to basic tools and technologies
– but can also help reduce household out-of-pocket spending,
thereby increasing financial protection. In recent years, many of
the Region’s countries have increased the amount they spend on
health. This should also increase the affordability of (and there-
fore access to) health services, while decreasing the number of
people being left behind.
But more public funding is not enough: Greater value for money
is imperative. That means developing and implementing long-
term strategies that define what services are required, who will
deliver them, and designing payment mechanisms that maxi-
mize efficiency and equity. Sound complex? Basically, it means
organizing health systems in ways that offer the right services to
the people who need them.
Finally, monitoring matters. Monitoring helps us understand
who is being left behind and why. It helps us learn what is
working and what is not, allowing us to make course correc-
tions where needed. It is to the Region’s immense credit that
in 2017 eight Member countries completed voluntary nation-
al reviews of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDG), including on health. In the same year, Member countries
unanimously agreed to review progress on UHC and SDG3 (the
health-specific goal) at WHO South-East Asia’s annual Region-
al Committee until 2030. That will prove critical to gauging
progress and maintaining momentum.
To that end, the wind is at our back. The leadership and vision
of WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus –
whose top priority is securing health coverage for all – is driving
global support for what WHO South-East Asia and its Member
countries are striving to achieve: to honor a promise that is bold
yet simple, and that will change the lives of millions of people
across the Region and beyond – health coverage that is univer-
sal; health coverage that is for everyone, everywhere and leaves
no one behind.
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 17
NEWS
Update

The Glorious Journey

Replenished with Great Moments
Time really flies! I get amazed when I look back to the journey
of more than 35 years in the field of healthcare. It feels like
yesterday when I threw my cap at the graduation ceremony in
1983 at the prestigious Lady Hardinge Medical College. The
journey has certainly not been a cakewalk and I still remember
the moments of struggle and agony. As a child, I had always
dreamt of wearing the proverbial white coat and entering the
medical profession. So, when I got admission to Lady Hardinge
College, all my hopes and hard work was realized. Having seen
my mother, sisters and other women, I understood the struggles
we bore and the pain taken to deliver and raise our children.
At that time, our country had one of the highest maternal death
rates and it was my goal to contribute and teach other doctors to
prevent maternal mortality and child foeticide. Hence, I chose
the field of gynecology & human reproduction so that I can
become an expert and help millions of women. Completing
Diploma in Gynecology and Obstetrics, Diploma in Endoscopy
from Germany and MD from Delhi were the milestones in the
journey of achieving complete command over the subject.
Getting a job in a public-sector undertaking hospital was the
dream job for most of my classmates and I was fortunate
enough to hit the bull’s-eye in the first attempt. The association
was quite long and I stayed for more than 15 years and headed
the gynecology department of the hospital for quite a bit of
time. I conquered great heights of attainment and every case
was like a new learning. Through my tenure, I did more than
9000 caesarean sections and 5000 Hysterectomies including
non-descent Hysterectomies even up to 16-week size uterus.
Life is tough for every woman in India and it is further difficult
for working women. But, I had perfected the art of balancing
life between home, kids and professional commitments and had
a great, content life. However, I started meeting more and more
infertile couples and their pain and struggle of not being able
to complete their family concerned me. With a lot of thought
behind it, I decided to take a giant leap and quit my comfortable
job, just four years before I would have complete 20 years of
public service and get my pension. I decided to start my own
hospital and swim in the turbulent and challenging stream of
self-occupation.
I got trained in ART from Singapore and started practicing at
Adiva Hospital, a women centric hospital which I co-founded.

Dr. Rita Bakshi

Chair Person, International Fertility Centre

18 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018


Getting a phenomenal success of 50% in Assisted Reproduction
Technologies was certainly a remarkable achievement that I am
proud of. The job gave me tremendous satisfaction as far as my
expertise was concerned, but I realized it is not easy to manage
your partners and promoters.
So I decided to start my own centre that would cater to infertile
couples and launched it under the brand name of International
Fertility Centre (IFC). Starting IFC was like the conception of
a baby. The same agony, the same pain and the same sense of
uncertainty! However, the initial troubles were over and I was
more loaded and busy, but surely happier than the early times.
IFC gave me immense opportunity to serve humanity in the
form of an infertility expert. Getting blessed with a baby is
every couple’s dream, but not every couple is that fortunate.
Infertility is a lifestyle disease and is incredibly complex and
every case poses a separate challenge. Even after treating
thousands of cases successfully, I am learning something new
with every case that I handle.
Treating infertility with the help of every possible treatment
gives me a chance to bring smiles and happiness on the faces
of people who have lost every hope of being a parent. IVF,
IUI, Surrogacy, ICSI, and many other techniques are used at
the centre to achieve a successful pregnancy. Innovation and
creativity are always the top most priority at IFC and I never
leave any opportunity to explore and experiment the latest trends
in the treatment of infertility. We often use cryopreservation
techniques, LASER treatment and diagnostics, therapeutic
colposcopy and many other ultra-modern techniques to solve
the problems of infertility and gynecology.
There is no doubt that work is the only passion for me and
I get more energy as I indulge myself in the work. However,
there is always a sense of social responsibility that keeps on
pushing me towards the voluntary activities of issues related
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STORY
to mothers and babies. I am working as the Vice President
of the Indian Association of Occupational Health that deals
with the occupational and industrial hazards to the workers.
I get disturbed with the poor condition of the people where
women are always the worst affected ones. Cervical cancer
has been the biggest element of concern for me and therefore I
decided to equip people as much as possible to fight this fatal
disease. I never mind visiting the remotest areas and making
women aware about cervical cancer and other issues by giving
presentations, seminars and lectures. Social work is an urge for
me and it is not a way to merely pass the time. AAS is a non-
profit voluntary organization and I am a proud member of it. I
like to express my views openly in the newspapers, magazines,
and television shows. Staying connected with the generation
next through medium like Twitter and Facebook gives me
energy and a refreshed feeling.
The social service I have done is not for fun or fame, but it is a
way to show gratitude towards society and the country which
has given me everything. We owe a lot to the nation and by
doing something for the people of our society is the best way
to repay it. When I become a part of various organizations, my
first motto is to give the best of my knowledge in the service
of the common people of our country. The services extended
to these organizations brings a tremendous sense of self-
satisfaction and self-contentment.
Destiny has brought me the chance to use my skill in the best
possible manner and I would like to utilize my skill to help
as many as possible. The feeling of happiness felt at the time
of handing over a cute baby in the safe hands of her mother
is simply unexplainable. I am very fortunate that god has
been kind enough to give me opportunity to experience it
innumerable times!
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 19
COVER
STORY

A fiercely independent,
passionate go-getter
A mother, a doctor, an achiever.
Tell us about your leadership role as a COO in
Ruby Hall Clinic Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowarie?
A few years ago, when I stepped in as the COO of Ruby Hall
• Embracing quality improvement, personalized Clinic Wanowarie, I knew I had a challenge carved out for
me. I was the first woman in the organisation stepping into
healthcare and high-end technology for over
the C-Suite. Over the last few years, I have had the incredibly
half a century, Ruby Hall Clinic is a 850-bed- demanding yet fulfilling responsibility of a large, complex
ded flourishing multi-specialty medical centre, organisation with a diverse workforce in a strict regulatory
along with two satellite Hospitals at Wanowa- environment. I am responsible for the smooth functioning of
rie and Hinjawadi, hospital operations, integration of strategic plans into everyday
activities as well as the seamless function of services to meet the
• The only institute to have spread its wings to needs of my fellow clinicians, staff and patients. While each day
24 satellite centres across Maharashtra and brings its own set of challenges in this ever-changing healthcare
multiple corporate medical centres. landscape, being the COO of a hospital is not for the faint of
heart. As someone who is a practicing anaesthetist, I believe in
• The organization has won numerous national integrating my medical experience with my managerial skills
and international accolades, placing it on the
global healthcare map. These ranges from the
‘Best Organ Transplant Centre’ by NOTTO,
‘Best Hospital to Work For’ by The Economics
Times, ‘Best Medical Tourism Facility’ by the
Government of India amongst others.
• The only hospital in India to have seven
separate NABH accreditations under its belt
along with a cGreen OT certification.
• It is home to several centres of excellence
including Cardiology, Oncology, Bariatric Sur-
gery and Organ transplantation, to name a few.
• Multi Organ Transplant Centre with facilities
of Heart Transplant & Lung Transplant, Liver
& Pancreas Transplant, Kidney Transplant,
Bone marrow Transplant & Cornea Transplant.
• Recently added “Robotic Surgery” provides
testimony to its technological advances.
• Ruby Hall Clinic app is now also available on
PlayStore for Android Mobile.
Dr. Manisha Karmarkar
To know more, visit: www.rubyhall.com COO, Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowarie

20 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018


which helps me be open to change. This allows me to make
Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowarie more successful at doing what it
does best — healing people.
At its core, healthcare leans towards quality patient care which
is only possible with passionate and disciplined team work.
Being at the helm of affairs, I am responsible not only for care
inside the institution, but also for the health of the community
as a whole. This means mastering operational issues, including
coordinating hospital care with physician offices and long-term
rehabilitation services. I ensure we create a sense of community
by building relationships not only with physicians, nurses and
leadership teams, but also with front line staff who are the
‘face’ of the organisation. I make it a point to learn the names
of every single member of the hospital team. It means a lot
and encourages a ‘team’ attitude. It also empowers individuals
to take the right decisions and work passionately which is
ultimately what successful leadership is all about.
Along with this, what I’ve worked on has been actively
implementing a horizontal work culture amongst teams that
collaborate across departmental, professional and even corporate
lives. Backed by a formidable team of women managers in
various departments, each one of them leave no stone unturned
in providing exceptional care with compassion. Having
transformed the financial prowess of the institute, our team has
been instrumental in ensuring higher patient satisfaction levels.
Through a combination of hospital affiliations, outpatient
specialty care centres, health care accreditations and corporate
partnerships, we have redefined ‘swanky healthcare’ while
taking it to the next level.
What are the challenges you face as a woman
leader? How do you overcome them?
I have been fortunate to work in an organisation that encourages
its women employees to lead from the front. Our CEO, Mr, Bomi
Bhote remains to be the wind beneath my wings. I attribute my
learnings as a leader to him, without whom none of this would
have been possible. However, I do know that not many women
have been as fortunate.
Having worked in a male-dominated environment, I too have
experienced challenges and understand that some issues are
beyond individuals’ control. Like many societal challenges,
the root of the problem is multifaceted and nearly impossible
to pin on one factor. Gender stereotypes play a role; balancing
family responsibilities and hectic work schedules, along with
rigid leave policies and the constant need to upgrade one’s skills
and education are challenging. Sometimes due to these factors,
women themselves temper their own aspirations, believing
their upward mobility may be limited - especially in the field
of healthcare.
This doesn’t mean that women can’t or shouldn’t lead, with
or without authority. It means being aware of the biases and
challenges women leaders face, rising to confront them and
working hard to overcome them. If you take ownership of your
COVER
STORY
work and present yourself as a leader, others throughout your
organisation will begin to see you as a leader. Being confident
and speaking from a place of strength will go a long way in
convincing others to follow you, whether or not you have direct
authority over them. At Ruby Hall Clinic, countless women like
myself relish the support and motivation we receive - right from
being encouraged to take ownership, flexible working hours
as well as the ability to work from home when needed. Subtle
changes such as these have truly helped us talent tap into our
strengths. This speaks volumes about the work culture of our
organisation.
To sum it up, I believe that women are the largest reservoir of
talent and we owe it to our patients, our employees, and the
communities we serve to do everything we can to increase the
number of women in leadership roles.
What are the initiatives or strategies you have
undertaken to incorporate technology into
healthcare?
It’s amazing to look back and see just how far our world has
come technologically. If someone from 100 years ago suddenly
found themselves in today’s world, they would think they had
been teleported into another dimension. The same can be said
about technology in healthcare. Surgical techniques, superior
imaging, electronic health records and telemedicine have each
played significant roles at Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowarie in
improving general healthcare.
Each new healthcare technology requires a proper setting in
the hospital. Take, for example our newly launched robotic
surgery centre. It required a new operating protocol; the staff
was trained for a wide range of procedures; and, the technology
needed to work efficiently with other existing technology. And
look how far we’ve come — within just a few months, Pune’s
only Da Vinci robot is doing wonders for the healthcare system.
The hospital’s bid to provide exceptional, connected patient care
has also led to the development of a new, digital infrastructure
as part of its growing e-health strategy in the form of virtual
clinics. These have lead to the overhaul of traditional treatment
models, the launch of bespoke, tailored solutions, and grant
patients increased choice and control over how they are treated.
This model has worked exceptionally well in the corporate set-
up as well as across geographical boundaries.
Our award-winning RHC mobile app and cloud-based EMR
solution address the growing need of immediate access to
healthcare information. We believe that leveraging technology
has enhanced the comfort of doctors and fortified patient
care. We always strive to be at the forefront when it comes to
purchasing the best and latest in state-of-the-art technology.
This holds true for our newly acquired PET CT scan, Green
Light Laser and 3D laparoscopic devices among many others.
At the end of the day, it is this technology that helps us heal
our patients faster.
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 21
COVER
STORY
What are the major achievements or moves that
Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowarie has undertaken to
become a world class facility in Pune?
For more than half a century, Grant Medical Foundation has
had a reputation for high calibre healthcare practitioners,
innovative services and powerful commitment to meeting the
needs of our community. Offering a cutting-edge and nurturing
medical environment, Ruby Hall Clinic Wanowarie has
purposefully taken this mission forward. A healing getaway
in the form of a boutique hospital, our tertiary care centre
provides the sick with a serene and peaceful environment.
As a medical institute, we take pride in the following
achievements:
 Our 10-storey building, a LEED Gold Certified structure is
Pune’s first hospital to receive the rating, and incorporates
natural lit, energy efficient rooms for patients, families, and
hospital staff
 We are Pune’s only hospital with six NABH certifications
 Our Accident and Emergency Medical Services is
the first in the city and Western Maharashtra to be
accredited by the NABH
 Our high-tech cGreen operation theatres are made
of modular, stainless steel making us the first in Pune
and fifth in India to be awarded this accreditation. The
innovative equipment used in the high-tech digital theatres
allow surgeons to have complete control over every aspect
of their surgery
O  ur imaging technology is up to the minute, featuring digital
mammography, MRI, PET CT scanner and high-definition
endoscopy together with five-star, state-of-the-art facilities
 No call to the hospital ever goes unanswered due to our
in-house call centre that is available 365 days a year
 With a wide range of procedures, our short-stay, minimally
invasive surgeries are changing the face of modern
medicine in Pune
 Our dietetics and nutritional management teams work
diligently to ensure the need of every patient and their
family is taken care of. This includes tailored menus
and food plans, room service ordering and even an
international-style cafeteria
 Evening OPDs for working professionals along with a
number of speciality clinics add to our USP. These range
from a Diabetes Clinic, Breast Clinic, Neurology Clinic,
Stroke Clinic, Hip and Knee Clinic, Spine Clinic,
Cardiology Clinic to even a Menopause Clinic
 Pune’s most technologically advanced NICU provides
life-saving care to our youngest patients
 We go out of our way to take care of our international
patients — right from a wifi enabled campus to assistance
22 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
in the form of interpreters, police permissions, transport
to even international culinary options
W  e’re the only hospital in the city to boast of a 99% patient
satisfaction rate
A  dding to our eco credentials, our hospital is designed to
be fully paperless, which means that medical personnel
are able to manage patient data electronically to ensure
instant access
 We have been presented with the Green Hospital Award by
the AHPI for our eco friendly practices
 With every action and every step of the way, we at Ruby Hall
Clinic Wanowarie actively push ourselves towards accessible
healthcare in a healthier community. Ingrained in our very
mission, we constantly redefine world-class healthcare.
How do you manage stress and what you do in
your leisure time?
Life in a hospital can get really hectic. There’s always the
unknown just around the corner. Every day comes with its
fair share of ups and downs. As a practicing anaesthetist, I am
expected to take life-altering decisions every time I am in the
operating theatre. But it is this very job that has become my
stress buster, helping me overcome the feeling of distress. As
a COO, I am always on my toes to ensure all management and
financial decisions are taken care of. During stressful times, I
think it’s helpful to find some grounding. And this is where the
support of my family and colleagues comes into play.
Getting back home to my husband and daughter every single
day is what keeps me going. Not only do they help me unwind,
but also motivate me to be the best version of myself. I’m
an avid reader and not a day goes by where I sleep without
listening to music. I truly believe setting aside personal time
to decompress is vital - it’s essential to cut yourself off from
your problems. For me, this means starting my day with
exercise, the occasional family holiday, movies with my
daughter and time out with friends. Most importantly, I feel
having a mentor, someone to look up to and learn from is the
biggest pillar of support. I am thankful to have our CEO, Mr.
Bomi Bhote who has remained the unwavering guiding force
in my journey.
Truthfully, most of the stress in my life is work related, but
I wouldn’t consider it negative stress. The stress comes for a
point of wanting to do more, to do better for this community
and its residents. It’s about moving Ruby Hall Clinic
Wanowarie forward to address the human challenges and
reduce the illness that too many in our community face every
day. Instead of stress being an obstacle in my life, it often
works more as a motivator for me.
Always remember to stand tall and work passionately.
After all, no force is more powerful than a woman
determined to rise!

Ms. Pushpa Vijayaraghavan
Director
Sathguru Management Consultants
Tell us about your journey as an
women Entrepreneur?
Rewarding is the only word to describe
my journey of nurturing the healthcare
and lifesciences advisory practice at
Sathguru. I was fortunate to start on a
strong foundation with the stellar work
undertaken by the firm over the last
three decades. My focus has been on
reinforcing our market leading position,
our differentiated techno-commercial
perspective and continuing to nurture the
trust relationship with clients. Beyond
driving growth and delivering value to
clients, it has been a journey of constant
learning on building organizational
capacity and sustainability to lay the
foundation for the next 30 years.
What are the challenges to be a
women leader into business?
As a younger woman in business who
is not very largely built, there is always
the risk that people don’t take you
seriously at the beginning. However,
in the segment I am in, knowledge
is all that matters and the only way to
I take pride in being grounded
and having gratitude for the
opportunities so far in my life
combat this challenge is to demonstrate
depth of perspective and knowledge and
draw the other end into a discussion
they intellectually cherish. Ultimately, I
believe nothing is a challenge if you are
very good at what you do professionally.
Tell us about your company and
the services offered by you?
I lead the healthcare and lifesciences
advisory at Sathguru, a 30 year old
consulting firm that enjoys market
leading presence across strategy,
investment banking and innovation
advisory across lifesciences – pharma,
biotech, medtech, delivery, animal
health, agribusiness and food. I lead
the healthcare practice and advice large
companies, institutions and young
innovative ventures on various aspects
of market entry, organic and inorganic
growth, access to capital and innovation
adoption/commercialization. We
continue to nurture a truly differentiated
practice where we view the business
and innovation aspects in one lens, very
critical for the lifesciences industry but
very rare in the Indian context. We are
today preferred advisors for the largest
pharma and biotech companies, medical
devices companies, hosptials as well as
policymakers.
Shed some light upon Implants
and Biomedical Industry in India:
Reshaping the Future and
Describe your personality?
Developing Skilled Workforce to
I am intellectually curious, cherish
take on New Challenges”? learning something new everyday and
The medical devices landscape in India
is quite complex and the same is true of
implants as well. There is a high level of
import dependence and this often sighted
a significant challenge leading to higher
COVER
STORY
prices and healthcare access issues.
However, there are also two other critical
issues that often go under discussed –
negligible innovation backbone in the
country, especially in more complex
Class III devices and continuing
commercial issues that impact the
business case. While a strong pipeline
of Class I and some Class II innovation
has been triggered in the country over
the last decade, it is critical we create
high end translational platforms and
seed domestic innovation capacity to
create a sustainable ecosystem. Skill
building needs to focus on convergent
nature of medtech innovation and cover
biomedical engineering, basic sciences,
regulatory and clinical expertise et al.
Further, it is also important to foster
market maturity, create market access
pathways for adoption of indigenously
developed devices in public health
and transparent pricing mechanisms
in private markets. Issues currently
impacting commercial attractiveness are
address the business case for domestic
manufacturing is more robust. There are
still cases where inverted duty structure
exists. The country has to address these
challenges before any space in the
medtech parks can be meaningfully filled
in a way that it addresses India’s need in
complex devices and creates economic
value in the long term.
am driven by professional impact I can
have in my role. Personally, I take pride
in being grounded and having gratitude
for the opportunities so far in my life 
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 23
COVER
STORY

Gadget addiction makes

your child medically weak!
Children sit in a slouching position for
hours altogether, causing discomfort to
their back and spine, even affecting their
posture. Swiping continuously on a screen
obviously does not give them the required
dexterity in the fingers or arm muscles.
Further, the limited or non-existent
outdoor activity robs them of the optimum
vitamin and calcium levels.
Dr. Sadiya Vanjara a renowned Physiotherapist
in western region completed 18 Years of Dr. Sadiya Vanjara
excellence in the world of Physiotherapy And HOD, PHYSIOTHERAPY DEPT, NOOR HOSPITAL, MUMBAI.

the journey has been extremely gratifying. CEO & OWNER AT ‘SPARSH 4.0’ HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS.

Received the “BEST PHYSIOTHERAPIST IN MUMBAI

AWARD” in Aug 2014, 4th MT INDIA HEALTHCARE
AWARDS, Delhi.
Physiotherapy is indeed considered as, but not limited to, supplementary
& post operative care. It is also the most widely used & clinically proven
method as a Preventive Measure in multiple and most common medical areas
like Orthopedic, Musculo-Skeletal, Cardio-Vascular, Neurological, Sports &
Geriatric, to name a few.
What are the major challenges and your expectation from Govt. and health
ministry?
The biggest challenge I face as a Physiotherapist is to convince my patients
that Physiotherapy is safe. It is sad how this field has still not gained the
respect & regard it deserves, let alone credit & applause.
As the saying goes, ‘Saving a life is Victory. Rehabilitating...GLORY!’
I hope & wish that the health ministry re-considers the same and re-evaluates
this profession’s position in the society.

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 COVERSTORY

Technological advancement has taken the

world by storm and we humans have become
slaves to it. So much so, that it has kids as old
as 3 years of age eating out of its hands.
By this, we mean the usage of the latest gadgets
in the market like smartphones, tablets, et al.
This habit is having an adverse effect on
children’s health, as doctors have started
pointing out that small children queue up
outside their clinics complaining of back pain,
eye problems, etc., triggered by the excessive
use of gadgets.
Recurrent use of tablets, mobile phones and
hand-held games, are the primary cause behind
the rise of muscoskeletal problems in children.
Spoke to Dr. Sadiya Vanjara, who heads
the department of physiotherapy and pain
management at Noor Hospital, who said
that there has been an alarming increase in
the incidence of pain in the neck, shoulder,
swelling of muscles from holding gadgets and
even inability to sit and write for long hours Five medical risks your child
among children.
The average hours children clock up slouching
faces:
endlessly over gadgets totals up to six hours Obesity
or more per day. These statistics can present a This is the worst thing to happen to your child. Reduced physical
good idea of the extent to which their health is activity, courtesy the hours spent bending over those gadgets may
taking a wrong turn. Furthermore, by whiling result in your child becoming overweight, which predisposes them
away so much time on gadgets, children lose to various lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
the time they can spend outdoors and their
physical activity becomes nil. Mind
Cognitive development of children can slow down due to overuse
of gadgets, causing attention deficit disorder. It may also hamper
physical development and impair social skills.
Eyes
Excessive us of gadgets can cause blurry or double vision, redness,
dry eye syndrome, etc. Therefore, immediate measures need to be
ensured in their lifestyle in order to avoid such problems.
Back and spine
Neck, back and shoulder pain along with posture problems are the
primary concerns for children who resort to excessive gadget use..
Due to this, children are also predisposed to get spondylitis at an
early stage in life.
Sleep
Sleeping late or sleeping less is normally a given when gadgets
are overused. Sleep deprivation can cause anxiety, increased
hyperactivity and other behavioural issues.

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COVER
STORY

The Padma Awardee

& Neonatologist
Prof. (Dr). Neelam Kler
Department of Neonatology, Institute of Child Health
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi-110060
I am a neonatologist probably many people in India will
not know what a neonatologist is? Let me tell you my
story…..
Becoming a Doctor was my dream from early childhood,
which was nurtured by my parents. When I first
started thinking of medicine, I had no clue as to what
a Neonatologist is … (by the way a Neonatologist is a
physician who looks after newborn babies).
During my final year of med school, I was posted in a
remote hilly town Kishatwar (district in J&K on Pakistan
border) that had very poor roads. This was a community
hospital. One fine day, I was asked by the chief medical
officer to accompany the head nurse to visit a woman
in advanced labor in a village. After reaching there, we
found a young woman in great pain. We assisted her in
delivering the baby boy who could not breathe at birth
because of long difficult labor. I tried reviving the baby
but could not. As a young medical student that was my
first experience to resuscitate an asphyxiated baby and I
failed.
Looking back, I think that was the day that saving babies
became my passion, my mission and my life’s work.
Saving that tiny baby gave me courage to question– Why
should we lose so many new born babies? Even today,
with all the advances in modern science, every year close
to .7 million babies before they complete their first month
die in India! Many of these deaths are avoidable with
quality care
I returned back to India in the year 1988 after my training
as a Neonatologist while my husband was still working in
UK. I had been offered a job by the Sir Gangaram Hospital
for developing neonatal intensive care services, which
was nonexistent at that time. I had a home to run, and a
family to manage, and here I was questioning the existing
well-established pediatric system of the hospital. The task
of balancing work, of creating Neonatal Intensive Care
services from scratch, and managing my two little boys
was like running a marathon race.
Today when I look back, I know it would not have been

26 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018


possible to achieve it without the support of my family.
My parents looked after my home and my children when
I was away saving babies night after night. My mother
always said, “You take care of your work and I will take
care of the rest”. I think she always saw my success as
her own achievement. My husband, a busy interventional
cardiologist himself, not only supported me full heartedly
but encouraged me to fulfill my dreams.
My colleagues, who had faith and trust in me, and put
in endless effort and hard work,. Together, we built a
Neonatal centre of excellence, equipped with the latest
technology to save the tiniest premature babies. We
were able to improve the survival of the tiniest baby and
establish credibility among our fellow pediatricians. We
started getting large number of very small and very sick
babies from different parts of the country. They often
came, cold and very unstable. These kids either died soon
after arrival or if survived would suffer a disability.
We understood the importance of safe and stable transport
of sick babies and the need for “Neonatal emergency
transport program’. We established excellent transport
services with the best transport equipment, trained our
teams in providing safe and stable transport from the point
of reference till they reach our hospital NICU. I cannot
forget this one of the air lifted an extremely sick, six-hour
old baby from Amritsar who was severely asphyxiated
.At that time it looked almost impossible. Today that baby
is an eighteen-year-old in class 12 who wants to become a
pilot and run a fleet of air ambulances. This was a tribute
to the nameless baby I lost in Kishtwar Considering
India is a large country with close to 65% population
living in villages, Desert or hilly areas, babies born in
small community hospitals or at home with poor access
to intensive care units, there is a need for an accredited
program in emergency pediatric and neonatal transport,
to train more number of doctors in transport medicine and
have more capable teams for safe transport of sick babies.
I realized at that point that to save more babies, we need
much larger number of trained Neonatologists and many
more neonatal units. There was an urgent need to start a
post doctoral program to develop Neonatal medicine and
take things to larger scale. We needed a lot of canvassing
from our friends and other academic institutes to develop
such a program. We were fortunate to start an excellent
research and Academic Program in neonatology in year
2000 under National board of education. At present large
number of institutes have this program training large
number of young neonatologists who have established
new born ICU’s all over country saving lives.
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In the same year, 2000 Millennium development goals
were defined with the aim of addressing poverty hunger,
education, women empowerment and health by 2015. This
was an important mile stone for creating a better world.
MDG 4 for child survival focused on preventing deaths in
the first month of life. At that time, four million children
died in the first month of life, and a million of them were
in India alone. As expected, most of these were among the
poor families living in rural areas. Clearly there was a need
to step out of the comforts of my Newborn ICU in a large
hospital in New Delhi, and contribute to saving newborns
lives in the remote, rural areas of the country. National
Neonatal Forum is a strong organization with members
from diversified fields like newborn health, child health,
obstetrics public health, social sciences and industry. As
president of this organization it provided wings to my
resolve to contribute to saving newborn lives across India.
Many hospitals and individuals joined the cause and now
we have a large network of organizations, individuals and
hospitals that support in ending the preventable deaths
among newborns. These 10 years were phenomenal and
huge learning for me widening my horizon. In year 2014
I was awarded PADMA BHUSHAN by president of India
and this was most proud moment in my life.
My personal journeys to work on some of the social issues
continues like fighting for equitable access to quality
services, and empowering women in some of the most
underserved areas: last few years I am mentoring Basic
HealthCare Services, and organization that provides high
quality, low cost healthcare services to the last mile tribal
communities in Rajasthan. All the while, I continue to
engage myself in cutting edge research and health services:
initiative with access in partnership with Indian school of
business at Hyderabad, Institute of health improvement
Massachusetts a collaboration of 6 NICU in reduction of
Health care associated infections and multidrug antibiotic
resistance in new born.
Partnership with Public health foundation of India (PHFI)
to study ill effects of environment pollution on fetus and
new born creating awareness through media and other
agencies. On similar lines I am working with ladies
ASOCHAM and PHFI, on tobacco cessation and its ill
effects on fetus.And yes continuing my role as neonatal
intensivist in my institute doing my bit every day saving
more babies. I learnt a very important lesson that day. “If
you are well prepared, you will be more confident and
make fewer mistakes in life”. This is my journey and let
me admit I have shared with you very honestly.
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STORY

The New Vistas in Home

Healthcare Business
I wish to make non-hospital healthcare easily accessible and
affordable to people. I wish to empower the user with adequate
knowledge so that they can make an informed choice

P
ortea Medical (www.portea.com) is India’s leading
consumer healthcare provider and focuses on general
primary health care, post-hospitalization care, chronic
disease management and allied services. The company offers
home visits from doctors, nurses, nursing attendants and
physiotherapists. In addition, Portea also provides collection
of lab samples and offers medical equipment for sale / on hire,
as well as patient assistance programmes for chronic disease
management, bringing the entire gamut of healthcare services
to a patient’s doorstep. Since inception in 2013, Portea has
completed more than 2.5 million patient visits across the
country. The company manages ~ 120,000+ patient visits each
month.
Tell us about your journey into healthcare
since your inception?
It’s been a pretty log journey but I’m glad I’m on the right path.
I started off in the year 1997 as an Application Specialist for
a Medical Electronic Division. Quality was a core factor
there. Working there, developed my interest for quality
in field of diagnostics . In the year 2003, I started my own
Biotech Pathology Lab and later, in the year 2007, converted
it into a Diagnostic Centre. The primary focus was providing
accurate and quality reports within shortest TAT. Moreover,
as our CSR Activity we were focused on providing special
services to economically weaker sections , Senior Citizens and
Defense personnel’s of the society. This unique move by my
Organization gave a vision to many to start such activities as a
return to the society.
In the year 2011, I started working as a Biochemist in Nanavati
Hospital. There again, the prime focus was quality and training.
I faced a lot of hurdles but was determined to achieve and , I
worked on to make my people realize about ‘quality’ through
various awareness trainings and auditing. My main aim was to
take Quality to the Next Level. For this I kept improving my

Meena Ganesh knowledge and obtaining Six Sigma green belt and a Doctorate
in Management helped me further to share my knowledge with
MD & CEO, Portea Medical everyone. My management was very kind in providing me the
resources.

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In Jan 2017, I came up with ‘Q-Team’- which stands for Quality-
Training and Education in Accreditation and Management.
Q-Team is basically pioneer into training and education for
hospital and healthcare organizations. Here in Q-Team, we
have more than 45 trainers from all over the country. They are
experts and Stalwarts in their area of expertise and we all share
the common platform Q-TEAM to spread knowledge.
My focus , diligence and determination got me awarded on
several platforms of national and International Level.
Please elaborate your expertise into
healthcare quality management.
I have been successful in helping healthcare organizations
attain best quality practices and certification/ accreditation ,
without the support of a consultant or a handholding. Being
a Six Sigma- Green Belt and an Auditor , Lead assessor and
Principal Assessor, I have gained and shared my knowledge at
all platforms.
I am recognized for my unique quality and training skills. I have
a unique way of quality assessment and training techniques.
Me and my Team, carry a unique style for training.
As a woman leader and entrepreneur,
what are the challenges that were faced
by you?
It’s a known fact that success doesn’t happen overnight. Things
take time; it demands hard work, patience, dedication
and enthusiasm. While starting up my own business, I faced
a number of challenges that came on the way of their growth.
They go through and counter various issues of acceptance not
only from the family and society but also in the corporate world
where they go through prodigious hurdles. Dealing with men
was one such major hurdle. Most would consider any given
field to be male-dominated. It’s even more of a challenge when
you’re coming in as a woman having to give direction to men
that may not want any direction.
While dealing with opposite Gender
Many women may feel as though they need to adopt a
stereotypical “male” attitude toward business: that is,
competitive, aggressive and sometimes overly- harsh. But just
like most successful female CEOs, I too believe that remaining
true to yourself and finding your own voice are the keys to
rising above preconceived expectations. I have also faced my
set of such experiences but overcame these strategically.
Building up a support network
Knowing where to find the right support network isn’t always
easy. I had to smartly and diligently deal with the people for
support network, be it my family, my mentors or people who
worked with me.
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Balancing professional and family life
Work-life balance is a goal for many entrepreneurs, regardless
of their gender, but mothers especially of teens, who start
businesses have to simultaneously manage family and
company. And in this area, traditional gender-expectations
often still prevail. I’m thankful to my daughter and son for
being co-operative and understanding my responsibilities
towards my passion. In fact they started supporting me in their
free time in the best possible way. Being an Event Manager
herself, my daughter got involved into projects where her
expertise helped my streamline activities. As a proud mother,
I could give Quality time to my children rather than Quantity
time.
The fear of failure
Being a woman entrepreneur brought up a lot of challenges in
life and the major challenge was failure. I had to go through
lots of “NOs” and then to get that one “YES” that can change
my work life positively and help in achieving success. For me,
Patience and Acceptance played an important role. “Action
speaks louder than words.” I was just being confident about
my dream and was of the notion that let the world hear what I
could do and plan to do.
Please let us know about your initiative
about Q-Team.
As I just mentioned, Q-Team stands for Quality- Training and
Education for Accreditation and Management and our motto
is, ‘We strive for excellence… yours and ours’. Q-team is the
pioneer in innovative healthcare education and implementation.
We believe that quality is no accident, instead it is a result of
high intention, sincere efforts, intelligent directions and skillful
execution.
As a founder of Q-Team, I took a pledge on April 6, 2017 at the
Medical Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi , to spread
awareness of quality in healthcare to tier 2 and 3 cities of India
and to train them through a strong team of stalwarts and experts
in the team . We are glad our perseverance has led us to success
by training more than 5000 healthcare professionals in more
than 100 training sessions through out the country
We at Q-Team aim to head on a path of building international
reputation as a leader in training and mentoring organizations
to be capable of handling audits and assessments on their
own and thus, eliminating external agents/ consultants. I feel
immense pride in sharing this with you that we have recently
been awarded with Six Sigma Healthcare Excellency Award,
2017 for Best Quality Training Organization of the Year.
“ The Journey Continues”
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STORY
towards Eye Care Solution
Saving Sight with Courage and Compassion:
Dr Vidushi Sharma Pandey- Dynamic Eye Surgeon and Trendsetter from a Non-metro City
Dr Vidushi Sharma Pandey
MD (AIIMS, NEW DELHI), FRCS (UK)
Director, SuVi Eye Institute & Lasik Laser Center
C 13 Talwandi, KOTA, Rajasthan
Tell us about your career into healthcare as
an ophthalmologist?
A career as an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) is extremely
rewarding, and is especially useful for women wanting to
maintain a work life and work family balance. Ophthalmology
offers the adrenalin rush associated with performing delicate
sight restoring surgeries, yet you do not deal with stressful life
and death situations. It is also possible to do predominantly
medical ophthalmology or Medical Retina etc., so it is suitable for
everyone. In my own case, I have been lucky that I have received
my training from the best medical institute in India and overseas
and our medical practice in Kota in the field of ophthalmology has
been successful in every way. It is not just satisfying in terms of
work satisfaction and rewards, but it has also given me a platform
to engage in various fora and make my own contributions to
helping the doctor-patient relationship. I have spoken at the Indian
Medical Association (IMA) meetings, national and international
ophthalmology conferences and other organizations. I have also
contributed articles in the scientific journals as well as in the local
press and I utilized many opportunities to try and improve and
strengthen doctor patient relationship as far as possible, which
has been a very rewarding experience.
30 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
My Formula for success in Medical Field is
“Competent Care with Compassion”. Nothing
in this world can take the place of Dedication,
Determination and Diligence to achieve success.
As someone said- Talent alone will not get
you success: nothing is more common than
unsuccessful person with talent. Genius will
also not get you success; “unrewarded genius
is almost a proverb. Education will also not get
you there: the world is full of educated derelicts.
Patience, persistence and perspiration make an
unbeatable combination for success in any field”.
Elaborate as a women leader &
Entrepreneurship in the Ophthalmology
and Overcoming Challenges?
Many patients have a certain mindset about women doctors.
While they may trust you more, and also consider you to have
more empathy, some patients may feel that female doctors are
surgically not as competent. If you have an extremely hard
working and ambitious husband (and in the same specialty like
me), it often becomes even more difficult to carve a distinct
identity for yourself, and this has been my biggest challenge.
Luckily for me, I have had an excellent training in ophthalmology
from the prestigious Dr. R. P. Center for ophthalmic sciences,
AIIMS, New Delhi and Sydney Eye Hospital, University of
Sydney, Australia where I have been trained in oculopastic
surgery, pediatric ophthalmology, etc. This ensured that I do
a good variety of ophthalmic surgeries – not just cataract-
lens implant surgery, but also Lasik Laser Refractive Surgery,
oculoplastic surgery, glaucoma surgery, squint surgery, routine
and complex ocular trauma and so on, which are not done by
most ophthalmologists and this helped me to carve a distinct
identity for myself.
As an entrepreneur, the most difficult thing is human resource
management, just like in most other fields, and I have been lucky
that we have been able to find and develop an outstanding team,
which has made a huge difference to the smooth working of the
SuVi Eye hospital, having good relations with our patients.

As a director SuVi Eye Hospital what are
the initiative taken by you for the women
empowerment into healthcare?
Women empowerment into healthcare is a bit of a loaded
term, and I would be vain to think that I can make a significant
contribution towards that single-handedly. However, currently
there are many efforts to ensure that women health care
professionals form their own groups to get good mentoring and
ensure their career progress. The Indian Medical association
(IMA) is coming up with women wings in all states, and sub-
specialties are also forming women societies, like the Women in
Ophthalmology Society, which has affiliated chapters like the
Women Ophthalmologists’ Society (WOS) in India. I am happy
to be a part of these initiatives, which provide women doctors
with tools and opportunities to advance their professional
growth. Wider interaction among women colleagues is a great
inspiration to motivate young doctors.
Also, among the staff working at SuVi Eye Hospital in Kota, I
have always tried to ensure that we have a sympathetic attitude
towards the genuine problems faced by women, and ensure that
their male colleagues also understand the importance of giving
slightly more space to women.
Based on my experience of an ophthalmic entrepreneur, I have
also conducted a few sessions for young ophthalmologists
(including women) about career options, challenges for women
ophthalmologists and such other topics, and also written
articles, and made YouTube videos on these topics. It has been
my honour that after seeing my videos, women have written to
me to seek guidance about their careers, and my privilege that I
have helped and counseled them to the extent possible.
What are the Salient Feature of your
Hospital SuVi Eye and Your journey as
Entrepreneur to Establish this Practice?
After returning from overseas, I together with my spouse (Dr.
Suresh K. Pandey) started ophthalmic practice with little money
and tried to set up SuVi Eye Institute, in Kota (Rajasthan) in
rented premises on February 5, 2006. Within few years, we built
a new building of SuVi Eye Hospital having all latest gadgets.
We started with auto-refractometer, operating microscope and
a phacoemulsifcation machine. Initially our O.P.D. was 5-10
patients per day. Within one year, good word spread about our
work and patient numbers increased slowly and gradually to
100-120 patients per day and now we see approximately 250
patients everyday and perform 8 to 10 laser/major and minor eye
surgeries per day. So far, our team have done more than 50,000
successful eye surgeries and laser procedures with very high
success rate and about 2000 eye surgery free of cost to the needy
patients. Now SuVi Eye Hospital has “World Class Eye Surgery
Facilities” including Visx Lasik Laser Machine (for freedom
from glasses), Signature Phacoemulsification machine/Zepto
Cataract Surgery system (Phacoemulsification or suture-less
cataract surgery ), Zeiss Lumera operating surgical microscope
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STORY
and DORC Eva phaco vitrectomy machine (for suture-less vitreo-
retinal surgery), Oculus Pentacam (for diagnosis of corneal
disorders), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), Specular
Microscope, IOL Master (for lens power calculation), Retinal
Green Laser and Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA), and
several other valuable diagnostic and surgical equipments to
treat all routine and complex eye problems. Now we have a
team 4 full-time competent doctors (Dr. Suresh K. Pandey, Dr.
Nipun Bagrecha, Dr. Satyendra Kumar Gupta and myself), one
visiting retinal doctor (Dr. Abhiskhek Kothari) and total 40 staff
members to help us in day to day activities of the hospital. My
father (Late Gp. Capt. K.M. Sharma) was the force behind this
vision, who inspired us to return to India from overseas and he
also put in a lot of effort for staff training and human resource
management at our hospital. Our Hospital, SuVi Eye Institute
and Lasik Laser Center provides complete eye care services
in all sub-specialties, with all latest diagnostic and therapeutic
modalities in the Tier two city of Kota (Rajasthan) by the best
trained doctors. We pride ourselves on having a patient friendly
atmosphere and immensely value the enormous support and
trust that we have received from our patients. Several doctors
(ophthalmologists trainees and observers from India and abroad)
have visited Kota, India including from USA, Switzerland,
Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Iraq to observe our model
of private practice.
Why you chosen Kota for your hospital?
While it would be tempting to give a clichéd answer like “we
wanted to come back to our roots and serve our own people’,
which of course is true; the bigger reason is that it makes much
more sense to settle down in Tier two cities in India today. Even
while I was pursuing further training overseas, and my juniors
asked me about future prospects, I always encouraged them
to settle down in these non-metro cities, as it is less expensive
to establish and faster to build up a medical practice in these
cities. The family contacts provide the initial patient base, and
good services provide word of mouth publicity, which is very
effective in these non-metro cities. Life is more relaxed, you do
not have to travel large distances, and can use your time more
productively.
Dr. Vidushi Sharma Pandey Doing Cutting Edge Eye Surgery at
SuVi Eye Institute, Kota (Rajasthan)
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Please let us know about your social work for
needy people?
At our hospital, we have always tried to provide the best services
to all patients, irrespective of their paying capacity. I consider it
an achievement that in spite of providing cutting-edge high end
surgery like micro-incision cataract surgery and premium IOLs,
refractive surgery etc., we have also been able to provide equal
quality of service to all our patients, and have a wide spectrum of
patients from all kinds of socio-economic background. We have
also organized many free OPD check-up camps, where patients
are provided free follow-up and necessary investigations in
the hospital, and have seen more than 70,000 patients in these
camps. Apart from this, we have also done free surgery for needy
patients. I am humbled and honoured to get “Women of the Year
Zonal Award” by Chief minister of Rajasthan Smt. Vasundhara
Raje. Govt. of Raasthan felicitated myself and my husband
(Dr. Suresh K. Pandey) for doing significant work in the field of
ophthalmology and elimination of preventable blindness.
Some realize that they would do well in non-clinical branches,
and some others decide they would want to change their field
altogether. Assess your priorities and desires, and take an
informed decision, as you can’t keep changing these decisions.
The most important thing is to decide on your own definition of
success, and then stick to it, so that you are not just successful,
but also truly happy.
Kindly give us your own quote about life/
motivation/success
My Formula for success in Medical Field is “Competent Care
with Compassion”. Nothing in this world can take the place of
Dedication, Determination and Diligence to achieve success.
Talent alone will not get you success: nothing is more common
than unsuccessful person with talent. Genius will also not get
you success; As someone said “unrewarded genius is almost
a proverb. Education will also not get you there: the world is
full of educated derelicts. Patience, persistence and perspiration
make an unbeatable combination for success in any field”.

Please let us know about your book for

Coaching Students?
During the course of my practice in Kota, I interacted with a
lot of coaching students who visited me for their eye problems.
Many of them were interested in talking to me, specially the
Medical aspirants, as I have done M.B.B.S. from AIIMS, New
Delhi, which is still on the top of the list for most of these
students. I also observed that a lot of students are from small
towns and cities and are not as confident as their counterparts
from bigger cities. For this reason, I wrote a book in Hindi
for coaching students, as well as other youngsters from not so
privileged backgrounds. The book is titled “Meri Kitab, Meri
Dost” and engages in a friendly conversation with the reader.
It is an attempt to help them make a more positive mindset, so
that they give in their best efforts, and also remain happy in all
situations in life.
Dr. Vidushi Sharma Pandey getting Award by Home Minister of
What would be your advice to young doctors, Rajasthan for her significant work in Elimination of Blindness
specially women doctors?
My first advice to young doctors would be to focus on getting
the best possible training at the earliest opportunity. This is
even more important for women, as it becomes very difficult to
devote time to full time rigorous medical training programmes
at a later stage in life, particularly after marriage and kids. At
an early age, it is possible to travel far and wide for the best
training opportunities, specially in surgical disciplines. Medical
practice is not easy because of heightened patient expectations
and an aggressive consumer culture that is spreading fast. In
such a scenario, it is absolutely essential to get the best possible
clinical training, so that our competence is our big strength
when starting clinical practice.
I would also like to advise young doctors to choose their work
based on their own personality and preferences. Some people
are very good at communication and interpersonal relations
and therefore do well in private practice. Some other people Dr. Vidushi Sharma Pandey Receiving Women of the Year Zonal
are interested in teaching, and do well in an academic setting. Award from Smt. Vasudhara Raje Chief Minister of Rajasthan

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A paediatrician from India and
a globally recognized researcher
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan 
Dr Soumya Swaminathan
Deputy Director General, at the
World Health Organization (Geneva)
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STORY
T
he World Health Organization (WHO) appointed
Soumya Swaminathan one of two deputy
directors general, the first time such a post has
been ever created within the organisation. The position
is also the highest post held by an Indian in the WHO.
Dr. Swaminathan is currently the Director General of the
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Dr. Swaminathan has been appointed as Deputy Director
General for Programmes and Ms. Jane Ellison, who was
Special Parliamentary Adviser to the UK’s Chancellor of
the Exchequer, has been appointed as a Deputy Director
General for Corporate Operations (DDC).
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed
Deputy Director General for Programmes (DDP). A
paediatrician from India and a globally recognized
researcher on tuberculosis and HIV, she brings with
her 30 years of experience in clinical care and research
and has worked throughout her career to translate
research into impactful programmes. Most recently,
Dr. Swaminathan was Secretary of the Department of
Health Research and Director General of the Indian
Council of Medical Research. From 2009 to 2011, she
also served as Coordinator of the UNICEF/UNDP/
World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and
Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) in Geneva. She
has sat on several WHO and global advisory bodies and
committees, including the WHO Expert Panel to Review
Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health,
Innovation and Intellectual Property, the Strategic and
Technical Advisory Group of the Global TB Department
at WHO, and as Co-Chair of the Lancet Commission
on TB. She received her academic training in India,
the United Kingdom and the United States and has
published more than 250 peer-reviewed publications and
book chapters
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A Pediatrician
Founder & Healthcare Leader
Dr. Suversha Khanna
President: Dharamshila Cancer Foundation
My journey from paediatrician to founder of
Dharamshila Cancer Hospital And Research
Centre, started in 1981 when my father was
and Research Centre diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate
Founder: Dharamshila Cancer Hospital with Bony Metastasis. There was total lack of
and Research Centre desired Cancer Care facilities in the North India.
All I heard from every Medical professional was
that nothing could be done for him except making
him comfortable, because he had very little
time left. No one was even willing to fix up his
Intertrochanteric fracture in the leg and relieve his
excruciating pain. I was fighting a long battle and
put him on drug trials. In the entire span of
7 years, he was treated at home except 2 weeks
of hospitalization. He finally died in 1988 (7years).
Concern about non-availability of comprehensive
Cancer Care facilities under
one roof, Negative attitude
towards Cancer by Medical
professionals, policy makers,
public and a burning desire to
change the cancer scene in
India, made my resolve stronger.
I started dreaming of setting
up Comprehensive Cancer
Care Centre, This was a great
challenge without financial backing,
knowledge, skill and experience. The
only strength that I had was:

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RESOLVE to make cancer treatment avail-
able, accessible and affordable.
 PASSION for cancer
 PURSUIT for excellence.
 PERSISTANCE for achieving my objectives.
 PERSEVERENCE for becoming leader in oncology
 RISK taking ability.
 STRONG support, Guidance from Regional cancer
centres, medical professionals and Delhities.
With support from the family and friends, we registered
a NGO Dharamshila Cancer Foundation And Research
Centre in 1990.
It was a big challenge to travel roads less travelled,
Traditional rules for setting up hospitals were not
applicable. There was no defined model to follow, funds
were inadequate, and the survival and success depended
on our ability to be committed, creative, flexible and
adaptable. We trusted our own instincts, set our own
rules and embraced challenges. All this demanded risk
taking of the strategic kind, where you step into untested
waters, reflect upon your own core strengths and think
of the needs and wants of the cancer patients and their
attendants As we walked along these less travelled roads,
our skills were further honed to take on the unexpected.
Two acres of land (8097 s.q.mets) was purchased
from DDA in 1990 and 1st phase of the hospital was
commissioned in 1994 with 100 beds; in the second
phase, bed strength was increased to 300 and now we are
about to start the third phase of the hospital.
What was the main objective and motive to
start a Cancer care hospital in North India?
 To decrease incidence of cancer and death rates;
improve cancer cure rates and quality of life.
 To make cancer treatment available for patients of
North India at their door steps by commissioning
a comprehensive facilities of Cancer Prevention,
Early Detection and Prompt Treatment. (Radiation,
Surgery, Chemotherapy, Bone Marrow Transplants,
Rehabilitation and Palliative Care) as per international
guidelines to have best treatment outcomes.
 To lull, up the gap between demands and supply
because there was no Comprehensive Cancer Care
and Research Centre with above mentioned facilities
till 1994 in the entire North India.
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STORY
what are the major challenges addressed for
shortage of oncologists and expert nurses?
During our earlier years of operations, there was an
acute shortage of trained oncologists, nurses and other
support staff. Two years of advocacy with National
Board of Examination for starting DNB programme in
Medical Oncology paid dividends. Dharamshila Hospital
And Research Centre was the first hospital of India,
accredited by National Board of Examination (NBE)
an Autonomous academic body, under the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, to start
the DNB programme in Medical Oncology, a full time 3
years doctorate Programme on 1st July 2001. We were
also the first Hospital of India to start DNB program in
Surgical oncology in 2004.
In 2010 we became India’s 2nd hospital, after Tata
Memorial to start Post Basic Diploma in Oncology
Nursing and will be starting a Nursing College and M.Sc.
Nursing Oncology, shortly.
Collaboration with Narayana?
The hospital was growing and required professional
Management by a young team plus addition of other
superspecialities to provide holistic health care. We started
looking for Healthcare organizations who had the same
philosophy like ours i.e. high ethics, transparency, patient
centric approach with affordable treatment. Therefore we
collaborated with Narayana Health and have signed an
“Operate and Manage contract” but ownership of the
hospital is still with Dharamshila Cancer Foundational
And Research Centre.
What is your Message for upcoming women
entrepreneurs and leaders in healthcare?
Women of India have great potential for taking
Healthcare, teaching, training and Medical Research to
greater heights. All they need is risk taking capabilities,
passion for healthcare, persistence to achieve their
objectives and perseverance to improve the image of
medical community.
There is still a great demand for Holistic Healthcare in
tier 2 cities and rural areas. Name of the entire Medical
community and Medical Institutions is being maligned
due to mistake being committed by few doctors,
Healthcare organizations and wrong policies of the
Government. So my message is very loud and clear,
we have to get back to our original image of providing
compassionate patient centric services with transparency
and improving our communication skills 
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 35
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Moving from illness to wellness-
an important goals to C4
Dr. Shilpa Desai
CEO & Founder, SBM Healthcare Center
Is Medication The Solution
For Children?
Saving our earth we must try and look
into the sustainability of humans in
the existing environmental conditions
which are conducive to providing a
healthy lifestyle to children who are in
the developmental stages and preparing
them to acclimatize in the future.
When we talk about vitality, nature is
the only option we have. We need to
use preventive measures in our daily
life. For decades, medication has helped
us to treat and fix the symptoms of
diseases. Although treatment offers a
quick fix, it is only a short-term, limited
solution to a complex multifaceted
problem. Medication only cures some
symptoms temporarily and does not
actually get to the root of the problem.
After discontinuing medications, the
symptoms tend to re–appear and health
deteriorates again. Drug therapy is
effective over prolonged use; however,
this comes with its share of side effects.
Psycho – Physiological aspect helps
us understand the cognitive process of
36 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
children’s mind and body, helps analysis
and diagnosis the problems they face. An
example would be: Anger, Cough, Cold,
Anxiety, Concentration, Fever, mind
(mood) swings, Skin Infections. These
are common symptoms of sickness
which children have at some or the other
point in their life. However, these are
not only psychological or physiological
based symptoms.
We need to design some basic structure
and change our childrens lifestyle.
Breathing & Exercise:
Breathing, so vital to life, occurs
automatically without us even thinking
about it. It is the only way that the cells in
the body receive oxygen by itself, vital for
converting sugar and other food products
into energy. The parts (organs) of the
respiratory system – the nose, throat,
larynx, bronchi and lungs, are designed
to get the maximum amount of O2 out of
the air and into the blood stream.
Breathing is a prime factor to live and
vitally very important for all other
functions of the body and definitely
growth. Healthy respiration can lead to a
healthy future.
Nutrition:
“Nature can be defined as a drugless, non-
invasive, rational and evidence based
system of medicine imparting treatments
with natural elements based on the theory
of vitality, theory of toxemia, theory of
self-healing capacity of the body and the
principles of healthy living.”
The main difference between naturopathic
and conventional medicine is in the
philosophic approach. Naturopathic
physicians claim to treat patients by
restoring the overall health rather than
suppressing a few key symptoms.
Naturopathic physicians are more
concerned with finding the underlying
cause of a condition and applying
treatments that work in alliance with the
natural.
Increasing prevalence of allergic diseases
in childhood in the last decades could be
linked to concomitant dietary changes,
especially with the modified and lower
consumption of fruit, vegetables and
minerals.
Foods that can prevent the development
of wheezing through their antioxidant
effects contain vitamin C and selenium;
blood levels of these elements correlate
negatively with the risk of wheezing.
Intake of vitamin E during pregnancy
also appears to be correlated with a
reduced risk of wheezing for the unborn
child. Similarly, low intake of zinc
and carotenoids by pregnant women
is associated with an increased risk of
wheezing and asthma in childhood. Fiber
also has anti-inflammatory properties and
protective effects against allergic diseases
such as atopic dermatitis and asthma.
The consumption of fat influences the
development of the airways. Populations
in Western countries have increased
their consumption of n-6 PUFAs and, in
parallel, reduced n-3 PUFAs. This has led
to decreased production of PGE2, which
is believed to have a protective effect
against inflammation of the airways.
Conflicting hypotheses also concern
vitamin D; both an excess and a deficiency
of vitamin D, in fact, have been associated
with an increased risk of asthma. Further
studies on the role of these substances are
necessary before any conclusions can be
drawn on a clinical level.
Path of Nature
 Blending of Human with Nature
 Basic Principles – Elimination,
Accumulation and Cures within.
School children have been affected by
their poor lifestyle and whose effects
are seen on their Psycho – Physiological
development. When they are in their
crucial age of development, adaptation
and adjustment with environment, short
term solution and using pharmaceutical
drugs for very common infection and

problems like headache, cold, leg pain,
body pain, mood swings, nutrition
deficiency, is general, but in spite of their
relative effectiveness its ideal i.e. Natural
lifestyle to support a drugless lifestyle.
Visionary and Enthusiastic, Dr. Shilpa
Desai is the first renowned Health
Psychologist in India. She is an expert
of Lifestyle Management by Complete
Concept of Mind, Body and Soul.
She is the CEO and Founder of “C4
Integrated Wellness”. She has won an
Award for the Best Research in France
for her study on Global Warming and
lifestyle expertise for our future.
“C4 Integrated Wellness” has state of the
art centers in Juhu and Cuffe Parade.
“C4 Integrated Wellness” is a
 Multi-Discipline Regenerative Medicine
 Pain Management,
 Anti-Ageing Facility,
 Sports Medicine,
 Non-surgical,
 Drugless & Fitness Management
C4 Integrated Wellness has a team of
Professionals. They use the latest Medical
& Health Technology and deliver cutting
edge treatment for joint pain, neuropathy,
spinal disorder and weight loss.
Come and try us out today and avail of
great discounts!
From Illness to Wellness
with the 3 D’s!
India is a country with a huge population
of the younger generation. The chief
concern is in later years what the health of
this generation will be when it is inflamed
with diseases like obesity, diabetes,
Hypertension, etc.
The World Health Organizations
(WHO) stated in 2016 that around 200
million children will fail to reach their
potential in both cognitive and social
development. This is an alarming call
and one which must be counter measured
with a preventive project which should
have awareness programs implemented
in every school, college and social
organisations. With the advent of
technology and online global education
facilities available to us we are in a better
place to be able to have these preventive
measures which will enable all to have a
healthier and pain free long life.
I would like to highlight some of the
life style diseases that have the highest
incidence due to the lifestyle we lead.
Diabetes:
Diabetes is one of the leading diseases
today due to our lifestyle and the 3D
approach is to be undertaken to achieve
good results even in type 2 Diabetes. The
3 D approach is Discipline, Dedication
and Desire.
Per statics obtained from World Health
organization, by 2021 India’s population
will hit the highest in obesity, which
contributes directly to the development
of type 2 diabetes. Coupled with lack of
physical activity, stress, unhealthy nutrition
and urbanisation, this can only get worse.
Heart Disease:
Though heart disease is one of the
leading causes of death in India, it does
not mean you have to accept it as fate.
Avoidance of heart problems can start
today with a healthy life style.
Here are some preventive tips
to help you get started.
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole
grains can help protect your heart. Aim
to eat beans, low-fat or fat-free dairy
products, lean meats, and fish as part of
healthy diet. Avoid too much salt & sugars
in your diet. Maintain a healthy weight,
Get enough quality sleep, Manage stress
& Get regular health screenings
Mental Disorders:
The National Institute of Mental Illness
defines mental illness as a condition that
impacts a person’s thinking, feeling or
mood and may affect his or her ability
to relate to others and function on a daily
basis.
Accordingly, World Health Organization,
(WHO) and the Centre for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), states
that mental disorders are generally
characterized by mood, combination of
abnormal thoughts, emotions, behaviour
& relationship with others.
There are different types of mental
illnesses: Depression, Schizophrenia,
Bipolar affective disorder, Dementia,
Intellectual Disabilities, and
developmental disorders like Autism.
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STORY
However, the prevalence of mental
disorders in India is less when compared
to the Western countries because of
genetic reasons, life-style, cultural
factors and good family support.
Pain Management:
Whether your pain is from arthritis,
cancer treatments, fibromyalgia, or an
old injury, you need to find a way to get
your pain under control. What is the best
approach?
The first step in pain management is to
schedule an appointment with the doctor
to determine the cause of your pain
and to learn which pain management
approach would be the most effective for
your illness. There are many different
pain management options available
and you need to find the right treatment
combination to get the relief you need.
Scheman stresses the importance of
approaching pain both physically &
emotionally and addressing “people as
entire human beings.” So, while chronic
pain medication can be effective and
important for pain management it should
not be the only tool available when it
comes to pain treatment.
Rather a variety of approaches and
modalities can help you deal with both
the physical and emotional parts of
pain. Platelet Rich Plasma, Meditation,
Relaxation techniques, Biofeedback,
which teaches control over muscle
tension, heart rate and more are a
combination of treatments that can help
alleviate pain.
Weight Gain and Loss:
Both weight gain and weight loss is
mainly about how we consume food.
Again here the 3D approach will help.
Desire, Discipline and Dedication
All these different illnesses can be treated
and reversed easily and systematically if
we take care of our health and nutrition
and undergo a change in our lifestyle.
The need of the hour is to ACT now
and PREVENT our children from
destroying their health.
Let us together work on the “I” and
make a better “WE” so that we start
teaching healthy habits now to our
children so that the new generation of
leaders will be healthier and stronger
than ever before….That is my wish for a
bright more healthier India.
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 37
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STORY
Pioneering initiatives have completely transformed
the state of healthcare in the field of liver transplant
I dedicated my heart and soul to this cause and eventually we became the pioneers in liver transplant,
Dr Neelam Mohan
Director - Paediatric Gastroenterology &
Hepatology Institute of Digestive and
Hepatobiliary Sciences, Medanta – The Medicity
Tell us about your journey so far?
During the late 90s, there was no good training
program in pediatric gastroenterology &
hepatology in India. After my initial training
in AIIMS in Pediatric Gastroenterology
I left for training in liver Transplant in
Birmingham Children’s Hospital , UK
(1997-1999) Nothing comes easy – I would
do double shift of work in UK, as a ‘Clinical
fellow’ during the day from 8to 5pm and
‘Research fellow’ from 5:30 to 10:30 pm.
Finding a job back in India was an arduous
task then as no one was interested in my
precise domain. My relentless pursuit paid
when I got my first break at Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital (SGRH). I dedicated my heart and
soul to this cause and eventually we became
the pioneers in liver transplant, at Sir Ganga
Ram Hospital then moved to Medanta
-The Medicity Hospital, Gurgaon in 2010
to create one of the finest centres in World
with regards to health care delivery in liver
diseases and liver transplants especially for
Pediatric Liver Transplant. The journey was
with a lot of struggles, hurdles and stress.
The recently there was not much awareness
in country amongst doctors and public
regarding liver transplants.
38 www.m e d e g a t e t o d a y. co m May 2018
As women liver transplant physician,
few female physicians are into this.
How you are seeing this as a challenge?
I say this with a deep sense of contentment
that in the last 2 decades, my pioneering
initiatives have completely transformed
the state of healthcare in the field of liver
transplant, Pediatric Gastroenterology
and Hepatology in India. From that
time, when this field was totally new in
our country, today, India has the most
sophisticated technical facilities and the
highest standard of healthcare delivery
in this domain to equate with the best
in the world. I am humbled to say that,
I created India’s first unit of pediatric
gastroenterology, Hepatology and liver
transplantation at Medanta where I became
a part of a horizontal expansion and, we
spread into various verticals besides liver
transplantation and liver/ GI diseases such
as motility, endoscopy, capsule endoscopy,
manometry and diagnostic and curative
work, making it the first such department in
the country which provides comprehensive
A to Z facilities for Newborns, Children
and Adolescents with Gastrointestinal and
Liver Diseases including the highest level
of liver care that is Liver Transplantation.
How one can understand there is
need of liver transplant, the common
symptoms and required tests?
The common symptoms when the liver
fails is jaundice, low protein levels and
coagulopathy (increased time for clot
formation). In addition there could be ascites
(fluid in tummy) vomiting of blood / pedal
edema / severe itching. The tests include
LFT, INR, USG Abdomen and +/- CT scan.
The liver could fail acutely as in acute viral
hepatitis A, E, B infection, secondly to
certain toxic drugs / viral illness. Common
cause of chronic liver damages includes
structural and metabolic abnormality in
liver / fatty liver disease reassuring liver
transplant in children.
What are the chances of survival/
success rates of liver transplants in
kids; what are the kind of facilities
needed for liver transplants in children.
Liver transplantation nowadays is a well
accepted treatment option for end-stage
liver disease and acute liver failure with a
90 -96% success rate and near 90% long
term survival in children.
The facilities that are needed for liver
transplants in children are not completely
similar to adults. The expertise of the
pediatric hepatologist managing the patient
before and after transplant is very essential.
There are several challenges especially in
small babies requiring expertise in surgeon,
anesthestist, intensivists, nursing care,
physiotherapy and interventional radiologist.
They require more frequent monitoring.
Latest views, practice and future
direction in liver diseases and
transplantation.
Presently in India, predominantly LRLT
are carried out. There is a desperate need
to increase awareness of a organ donation.
The donor pool can be increased for
pediatric liver transplant cases by
using Split livers i.e. a single deceased
(cadaveric) donor liver is divided into
right and left portions that are implanted
into two recipients simultaneously usually
the right lobe in adults and left /left lateral
lobe is given to children. Usually we do
blood group compatible liver transplant.
However, our centre intiated Blood group
incompatible liver transplants to increase
donor poo and it vies equally good results.
In ABO incompatible liver transplants
usually few sessions of plasmapheresis
are carried out in the patient a week
prior to the transplant. Another option of
increasing the donor pool. is Swap donor
which means when the same blood group
donors are not available, the donors of 2
different patients with similar problem
donate to each other. In a paired donor
exchange, also known as a liver swap, two
liver recipients essentially “swap” willing
donors. While medically eligible to donate,
each donor has an incompatible blood type
or antigens to his or her intended recipient.
By agreeing to exchange recipients—
giving the liver to an unknown, but
compatible individual—the donors can
provide two patients with healthy livers
where previously no transplant would have
been possible.

My stint in the PMO has helped me understand
programs of different social sector departments
and coordinate with them to attain synergies in
improving healthcare
Dr. Pallavi Jain Govil
Health Commissioner,
Directorate of Health Services,
Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal
Please tell us about your family
background and struggle period for
becoming an IAS ?
My father was in public service and my mother was the
daughter of a freedom fighter and a social worker. So
I grew up in a family committed to development. My
parents fully supported me in my aim to get higher
education and study for the civil services examinations.
What are the challenges as a women
Bureaucrats in general?
I think the biggest challenge is to do justice to both family
and work. But this is now changing, with supportive
spouses and families.
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STORY
Health is a state subject, What are
the challenges to sync with National
programme?
While most programs have good support from the
Center, sometimes the needs of the state do not align
with national norms. So we have to adapt and modify
our strategy accordingly.
What are the programme done by
you for the better healthcare for your
state ?
We have emphasised on improving our health care
delivery at the last mile, by better HR management,
training and capacity building. Our medicine
Procurement and distribution system is now one of the
best in the country. We have been recognised at the
national level for the lowest out of pocket expenditures
incurred in healthcare by our citizens, we have made
good progress in reducing under 5 mortality in the state,
our nutrition rehabilitation centres and child icus are the
best in the country, our training institutions have been
revamped and strengthened, vector disease incidence has
gone down and our responses strengthened- the list can
go on. Briefly, Team Health MP has made great strides in
providing healthcare to all.
Please elaborate your scope and
area of work? As you have worked in
different domain, please let us know
about experience in healthcare ?
I have a doctorate in public finance, and prior to this
assignment, I have worked in the field of finance and
investment. Using the approach of efficiency in public
expenditures, I have been able to improve the outcomes
from our programs.
w w w.medegatetoday.com May 2018 39
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