The three variables (in my view)
that form the basis of an effective healthcare system , are:
-
Leadership vision and strategical capacity
-
Financial
planning and capability
-
A skilled, competent and engaged workforce
Institutes that realize this have
gone on to build excellent healthcare systems. And those that fail to build
this triad, eventually face extinction due to competition.
This is true of healthcare as of
any other industry. What perhaps makes healthcare distinctive is its dependence
on the physician as an authority, and as a magnet for marketing (witness a well known hospital in Gurgaon established
in 2010 which has used this model successfully).
An institution without visionary
and strategic leadership is bound to fail like a ship without a rudder in
troubled waters. There are institutions that have thrived on chaotic and
entropic growth, but the long-term sustainability needs to be seen.
Financials are, of course, the
heart of the matter. Without a focus on sound financials, everything is going
to fail. Cost-cutting is not the solution, cost optimization is. A well known
hospital chain based in Bangalore has proved that it is possible to provide
mass healthcare while maintaining sound financials.
Lastly, a skilled workforce
(across all categories) is vital. This is as true of highly –skilled physicians
as of housekeeping staff or security staff, much lower down the rung. The most
common complaints in some hospitals are often not of a medical nature, but
something as seemingly secondary, but actually vital, as the behaviour of
security staff and the cleanliness of the hospital. Engaging this workforce is
also essential, because without internal customer satisfaction, external
customers, namely patients, are never going to be happy.
I feel it is the mix of these
three variables which makes a healthcare institution successful and prosperous.
Any comments would be welcome.
