On this episode of The Shape of Work Podcast, we talk to Dr Kishore Kumar, Founder Chairman and Consultant Neonatologist at Cloudnine Hospital.

After spending nearly 18 years overseas, Dr Kishore established the Cloudnine Group of Hospitals in 2006 to raise quality and service standards in maternal and neonatal care in India.

In this episode, he shares his journey from being a neonatologist to establishing his own hospital for maternity and neonatal care.

Tune into this conversation to get insights to understand the management of healthcare delivery, leadership styles in healthcare, challenges and the future of the healthcare industry.

Episodes Highlights:

What makes neonatal speciality different?

Children's medical issues are different from what adults face. Their life is full of future, unlike adults medical issues like lifestyle diseases and many incurable diseases. This is what makes the Neonatal speciality filled with chances. Simple interventions can save the lives of many children.

How does one take the most practical decision when it comes to being a doctor?

Research has shown that most doctors are empathic, and most CEOs are great leaders but not that empathetic. Deciding for the best outcome without cutting corners, you have to be a leader, but healthcare is an exception. Here a perfect blend of leadership qualities and empathy is required. In other words, neither all cases are the same nor are their requirements and response to healthcare the same. This is where empathy plays an important role. There is an increased focus on doctor-led hospitals rather than purely MBA-led hospitals for this reason only. Doctors who are better administrators are a good option for running hospitals.

The thick line between the healthcare industry and hospitality industry:

Healthcare provides hospitality along with healthcare 24*7. The requirements of the healthcare industry are manifold than that of the hospitality industry. In hotels, the customer sleeps, whereas in hospitals, the disease is not going to sleep. Healthcare professionals have to be alert 24*7. Even one minute of negligence can cost lives. The Healthcare Industry needs to make sure that both hospitality and healthcare are delivered all the time, which is a major challenge.

Challenges faced as a leader in the healthcare industry and how to tackle them

The list is long. The healthcare industry is not as organized as the software industry. For example, starting a small hospital requires a license for each department. Then comes procuring quality healthcare workers. Many of the nurses who qualify for nursing colleges in India are not competent enough. The doctors here have very little practical exposure, which decreases their competency. Challenges with infrastructure are another hurdle. Making sure our vision gets manifested when it comes to the requirements of the building is not an easy task.

Changes in the healthcare industry in 5 to 10 years

The healthcare industry will become data-heavy as maintaining data will become electronic. Electronic data and patient records not only need to be maintained but also protected against any ill-usage. Pandemic has created awareness about how much improvement we still need to see in healthcare. Public healthcare needs to be improved, and also work in conjunction with the private healthcare system to make India a better healthcare destination. We have very good doctors in India unless they are provided with proper infrastructure and facilities, the population is not going to be benefiting.

Follow Dr Kishore on LinkedIn

Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Yashwanth Jembige