Dr. Beri, do share with us your vast experience in the healthcare domain, both as a clinician as well as a management professional.
After having done my MBBS and MS in Orthopaedic Surgery, I practiced as a clinician for around 5 years. It was during this time that I saw firsthand, the changing landscape of the healthcare industry, especially the rise of professionally managed hospitals. The desire to contribute to this growth in a more holistic manner was what led me to pursue an MBA from the Indian School of Business. I have subsequently managed several large hospitals, in a professional capacity. I have been with Hinduja Healthcare Surgical since its inception and been a part of its growth story.
Hinduja Healthcare Surgical is known to be the first hospital in Mumbai to introduce ‘Entonox’; can you share the details of this controller gas inhaler with our readers?
Labour pain is described as one of the worst kinds of pain in the literature. It is worse than a fracture pain. The relief of labour pain is beneficial for both, the mother and the baby in many ways. The woman can enjoy her own birthing experience and it does not have any harmful effects on the baby. Entonox is a 50-50% mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide gas. Nitrous oxide is popularly known as laughing gas. It is a non -invasive method of pain relief in labour where a gas is inhaled. Labour pain is not a continuous process, but it is intermittent in nature. Thus, Entonox best suits to relieve the labour pain. It is a short-acting gas with rapid onset and offset of its effect.
Entonox is a pre-prepared mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide in a cylinder. To use it correctly, the mother inhales deeply on the mask or the mouth piece at the beginning of a contraction since it takes 15 seconds to take effect. The gas is inhaled for 2-3 breaths until the peak of the contraction. In between the contractions the mother is breathing room air and hence its effect wears off quickly. Entonox can be given at any time during labour. Entonox is breathed into the lungs and from there it quickly enters the blood stream. It has immediate effect of relieving the pain and also has anxiety relieving effect during the labour process. It is very quickly distributed around the body. It passes just as quickly across the placenta and into the baby’s circulation. It is quickly eliminated from the mother’s body entirely by her lungs. It is also eliminated quickly from the baby’s body. The advantages of using Entonox during labour are that it provides some degree of pain relief and takes away the anxiety. The woman remains awake and is in control of her own pain relief. This gas does not interfere with contractions, the time it remains effective is short and there are no obvious deleterious effects on the mother and the baby noted so far.
Hinduja Healthcare Surgical is known to offer comprehensive cardiac wellness extending from preventive to therapeutic to rehabilitation, kindly do emphasize regarding the facilities available in the cardiac sciences unit & about the cardiac Rehab facility?
An entire floor at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical is dedicated to the Cardiac Sciences Unit. This unit has state-of-art equipment and infrastructure to carry out non-invasive procedures that can help identify cardiac risk. The unit combines comprehensive cardiac care with patient education. The emphasis on preventive cardiology is apparent with the inclusion of non-invasive assessment methodologies like 16-lead ECG ,3D / 4D Echo, TEE (Trans Esophageal Echocardiogram), DSE (Dobutamine Stress Echo) and Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. This is of immense value in case of high-risk individuals with family history and other risk factors including lifestyle habits.
We adopt a Heart Team approach for our patients. The Heart Team approach includes a multi-disciplinary consultation and decision-making team that will discuss the case in detail with the patient and caregiver. At the Cardiac Sciences Unit, patients are also assisted with tasks such as quitting smoking, reducing stress levels and setting up an exercise regimen to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
The Cardiac Sciences Unit also has a Rehab section which runs a comprehensive rehabilitation program combining supervised exercise, education and nutritional information for all patients. Our Cardiac Rehab facility re-affirms our commitment to provide meaningful extensions to our existing services thus ensuring end to end treatment solutions under one roof.
The hospital also incorporates tailor-made/customized rehabilitation programs for each patient that focus on lifestyle changes as well as psychological issues. These programs are customized, keeping in mind each individual’s varying risk and causes.
Do brief us about some of the exceptional facilities available at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical.
The USP of Hinduja Healthcare Surgical lies in the personalization of healthcare in an environment that is more homely and “un-hospital like”. While providing multi-specialty tertiary care facilities to our patients, we have put a lot of thought into the small details that go a long way in maximizing positive patient experience and delight. Some of them are: We are the only hospital in Mumbai to provide the facility of serviced apartments in the hospital premises. This is a boon to outstation and international patients who would be accompanied by their family members / relatives and would need to look for accommodation close to the hospital. The availability of these serviced apartments is a big boon to them as they remain close to the patient and are relieved of the bother of travelling within Mumbai thus saving time, they can avail of the house-keeping and FB facilities within the hospital almost like if they were in proper hotel and all this at a price which is more economical than a good hotel would cost.
Since we pride ourselves as a neighborhood hospital, we also have the facility of a Family clinic. Unlike other corporate hospitals, we cater to not only the chronic & severe health concerns but also have made available qualified doctors who can address day to day health problems like common cold, flu, fever, routine monitoring of diabetes and blood pressure etc. That too in a hospital setting where additional facilities of lab, radiology and other investigations along with emergency care and referral consultations if necessary are immediately accessible, thus saving time and hassles, while also helping improve prognosis patient wellness. And all of this, at a cost that you would pay for a visit to your family physician. This also symbolizes the brand image that we carry on providing quality healthcare at affordable rates.
Understanding fully well that the primary need to visit a hospital is to seek expert advice and care, we have also tried to ensure seamless processes and attention to small details by providing valet parking facility within the hospital so that the patient/relative can focus on getting better while we manage the countless small niggles for them.
In a city like Mumbai where space is cramped and comes at a premium, we have also provided the facility of valet parking along with car parking towers, so that our guests can concentrate on getting their health needs satisfied while we take care of the small details.
To enhance patient convenience we have also recently introduced an online OPD appointment booking facility which means that anyone can now book their appointments in real time from wherever they are.
We would be interested in knowing about the comprehensive diagnostic and laboratory facilities available at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical especially regarding the first-of-its-kind vacuum-assisted biopsy device; kindly do elaborate on the same.
Breast cancer is growing younger all over the world but more so in India. Conventional Mammograms fail to pick up aggressive breast cancers that occur at this age due to the fact that Indian women have breasts that are very dense. The biopsies are done on an OPD basis. The biopsy procedure is carried out with a trucut biopsy needle under local anaesthesia and is guided by an Ultrasound which is known as imageguided biopsy. This means that the biopsy is done with extreme precision. The centre has a Vacuum-assisted biopsy device – the encore/Mammotome facility that helps to biopsy suspected lesions as small as one to three millimeter. This state of the art equipment can also excise or remove fibroadenomas/pappilomas which are benign tumors found in young women without a scar.
It is observed that healthcare organizations too, have started relying to a greater extent on technology to provide outcome & patient care; what is your opinion regarding the role of technology in transforming healthcare?
Today, technology is the cornerstone of providing worldclass outcomes. Investment in the latest technology is a must for any organization, in order to not only differentiate from the competition but also to provide its patients with the best results.
Can you enumerate the future plans of Hinduja Healthcare?
Having tried and tested a differentiated healthcare offering through Hinduja Healthcare Surgical, the Company plans to expand its geographical footprint across the country, by exploring opportunities for organic/inorganic growth.
