Plans for 2022

The way this pandemic has unfolded has made a dreaded memory pop into my head – myself being in the chair at the dentist’s office! The constant thought one has is the worst is yet to come! However, that is on a lighter note; let us all hope that we have surpassed the worst phase with only good health, great plans, and a beacon of hope ahead of us. Even though there is a lot of passive aggression within us as the remnants of last year’s catastrophe, we ought to think of this pandemic as our greatest preacher!

The lessons taught to us by Covid-19 would definitely play a vital role in expansion strategies, further deciding the procurements, supply chains and lastly leaving an impact on the operations. The significant learning is the sheer need to have strong back-up strategies, especially in the ICUs. During the peak of the pandemic, certain biomedical equipment had 100-percent utilization.

In other words, there were times when the switch of the equipment always remained on, and the patients on the equipment kept changing. This statement has implications across the board.

Thus, we would strive to procure key ICU equipment with increased safety stock and timely re-orders. This will enable the hospital to ensure optimum utilization of the equipment.

The equipment I am referring to have a wide spectrum. At one end of the spectrum are simple tools like cardiac tables and on the other end are ventilators with ETCO2 probes.

The pandemic has taught us the importance of flexibility. The future expansions, whether organic or inorganic, will emphasize on the flexibility that the facility can offer. I mean flexibility in operational, financial, structural, and every other domain, but most importantly would like to focus on infrastructural and architectural flexibility.

The further expansion of hospital should be flexible enough to be converted into a ward/ICU/OPD/office, along with the capability to run each unit as independently as possible. This should be in line with reduced movements of patients and staff alike.

An example of the same is to have a small IP pharmacy on every IP floor/ward, with a back-end full-fledged IP store. This would increase the inventory but at the same time lead to faster processes, minimal movement, faster indent to dispense TATs, and convenience that comes hand-in-hand.

In the last two decades, revolutionary changes and advancements in the field of science and technology have enabled the introduction of telemedicine. We would want to lay out the foundation for our firm regarding the same. The emphasis would be on the patient experience and maintaining the sanctity of doctor-patient relationship.

The patient satisfaction on the telemedicine platform should match that of a physical consultation, and setting this as a goal, we would want to make our platforms user-friendly. This will be done on the basis of continuous feedback from our patients and incorporating their suggestions to achieve excellence.

However, new technology and easy access does not imply success. The formula is going to be to provide value proposition. The value proposition that satisfies three conditions, namely, higher quality, greater convenience, and lower cost. This triad will be the epicenter of disruption.

To conclude, the plan for 2022 will be to procure equipment in line with the backup strategy, to expand into specialties with flexible designs, and strengthen the telemedicine platform to make it a mainstay for chronic illnesses and follow-ups.

The author is Head-Medical Operations at Global Hospital, Parel, Mumbai.