What are your roles and responsibilities as the Director of Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital?
As Group Managing Director of Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital, I keep an eye on the day-to-day administration of the hospital with my senior management team. I have been a forerunner for excellence in healthcare, which is apparent by my hospital being the First NABH Accredited Hospital in Ghaziabad in 2010, and I, being the First Indian working in India to be awarded the prestigious Fellowship of ISQua (International Society for Quality and Accreditation) in 2015.
In order to lead my time in the path of continual patient safety and be knowledgeable about the latest in Healthcare, I did my Quality Leadership Program from Harvard Medical School and various management programs from IIM Ahmedabad. I ensure that the safety and privacy of my patients are my primary focus, which I review regularly on my hospital rounds. I regularly preside over meetings and continuing education events within my organisation. I finalise the policies and procedures of my organisation before they are implemented.
I look into setting up new departments, or adoption of a new technology or equipment, or enhancing quality education by adding DNB programmes. My hospital also became the first NABH Digital-accredited hospital in UP and the 14th in India in 2024, which itself speaks of us as one of the early technology adopters. Being a NABH flagship hospital keeps us in compliance with standardized procedures and protocols that cover all patient points of contact, from emergency care and admission through discharge.
There are 651 objective elements that a NABH-5th edition accredited hospital must comply with, which keeps us always focused on patient safety and quality of care.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in managing a multi-speciality healthcare institution?
A healthcare institution is a people-intensive institution, be it patients, attendants, doctors, or staff. It is a difficult job to identify the right talent for your institution, manage them in fulfilling goals and responsibilities of the institution besides the rising standards of living and retain the talent in a multitude of factors like openings in other peer institutions, overseas attraction for staff especially nurses and doctors, family and peer pressures on staff on job jumping.
Additionally, patients and attendants also have an ever-rising expectation of improved patient outcomes, despite the criticality of the patient, which we meet through our qualified doctors and competent staff using the latest high-end technology, thus fulfilling their aspirations.
What role does technology play in patient care at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital? Are there any recent innovations or advancements introduced at your hospital that you would want to share?
Technology plays a very important role in patient care at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital. We are one of the early adopters, as acknowledged by NABH, also being the first NABH Digital-accredited hospital in UP and the 14th in India in 2024. The hospital had become a completely digitized hospital with digitalized prescriptions in both Inpatient and outpatient units. All nursing, doctor, and other healthcare provider notes are prescribed on the digital platform.
The hospital has been installing state of the art latest equipment in almost all the departments. I will cite a few examples, like Robotic Assisted Surgery with Da Vinci Robotic Surgery in the field of Gynaecology, General Surgery, Urology, and Oncosurgery. The hospital has installed state-of-the-art equipment in the Department of Gastroenterology, like Olympus C V 1500 is based on the latest platform X of Olympus, and it has various modes for diagnosing Gastrointestinal cancers, like Esophageal cancer, Gastric cancer, Biliopancreatic cancer, and rectal Cancer.
The hospital also conducts POEM for achalasia cardia and ESD (Endosubmucosal dissection) for early gastric and oesophagal cancer, and endoscopic mucosal dissection for rectal cancer, which is a scarless surgery, and also the cost of therapy is decreased and patients post-operative stay is reduced and hence patient can be discharged next day of surgery. Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided cirrhosis using Lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) is used in Acute pancreatitis with pseudocyst.
We can do a free hand guided LAMS stenting for patients with a small procedure time of 15 mins, and patients can be discharged the same day, thus reducing the cost of hospital stay. Similarly, the hospital has installed state-of-the-art equipment in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, like CPET, which is used to diagnose the unexplained cause of breathing difficulty and to do an accurate assessment of cardiopulmonary health, besides evaluating Heart function and Lung function.
The hospital has implemented many innovative processes ensuring patient safety, however we will be discussing one of them. It is the use of a unique barcode patient wrist band supported by software and a digital lock transporter box for transporting Blood components. The patient, once identified for blood transfusion, wears a unique barcode patient wrist band having six barcode stickers with a unique code, which are applied on the Blood component forms and the blood sample that is sent to the Blood centre. The Blood Centre scans the barcode pasted on the requisition forms and enters patient details in the barcode software installed in the Blood Centre computer. The blood component is released after the barcode sticker is scanned in the Blood Centre software, allocating the blood component bag in the software.
A digital code is generated, which is used to lock the Blood component bag in the Digital Transporter Box and is transported to the patient’s bedside securely and is opened using the unique digital code, which is mentioned in the patient’s wrist band, thus ensuring the right blood component is transfused to the right patient.
Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital has introduced robotic surgery, which is a significant advancement in patient care. Could you share what led to this decision, and how you see robotic surgery transforming surgical outcomes and patient experiences at your hospital?
Robotic-assisted surgery is one of the leading advanced forms of surgery to have started in the country. Since it was a new technology we wanted to start it, but at the same time we have to be careful that it is a time- tested technology, so we made up our mind to take the Da Vinci Xi (4th generation) system, which is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has been used successfully in many countries.Robotic –assisted surgery (RAS) is a minimally invasive advanced surgical tool that addresses the limitations of pre-existing traditional surgical procedures and enhances the capabilities of surgeons performing complex surgeries by allowing a greater degree of motion, improved visual magnification to better access the affected area (E.g. Deep pelvis, etc.) while conducting the surgery. The Da Vinci Xi (4th generation) system, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the latest in the advanced surgical technology for minimally invasive surgery, empowering surgeons to heal without constraints and improve patient outcomes by providing tools, technologies and an ecosystem that give them the right information at the right time.
The benefits of the Da Vinci system are multi-fold to stakeholders as enumerated.
- Few tiny incisions, instead of giving the patient a big cut
- Less pain and use of pain medication
- Less blood loss
- Less risk of infection
- Less scarring
- Shorter recovery time leading to Shorter hospital stays
- Computerised 3D visualisation for the surgeon
- Increased precision
- Decreased blood loss and fewer transfusions
- Improved dexterity
- Better ergonomics
- Reduced risk of complications
- Increased range of motion
- Enhanced access
- Ideal for certain delicate or complex surgeries because it makes it easier for surgeons to avoid surrounding nerves and organs
How did the hospital manage the budgetary aspects of introducing robotic surgery without passing the financial burden onto patients?
How is the hospital leveraging AI in healthcare delivery?
We are always looking at using advanced technologies in healthcare to enhance patient safety. In line with our motto, we installed Dozee at our hospital, which is the first contactless remote AI patient monitoring device and early warning system in Ghaziabad. Dozee helps us track parameters like heart rate, respiration rate, and non-contact blood pressure (NcBP).
Dozee also has accessories for oxygen saturation SpO2, temperature, NiBP, and 12 ECG along with vital parameters. Dozee also provides continuous Dozee early warning score (DEWS). All these vitals can be seen remotely on your computer or mobile with our central patient monitoring software called Secure SRPM
Dozee has a sensor sheet that is placed under the mattress near the chest area of the patient’s bed. Whenever the patient is sleeping on the bed, it will track the patient’s vital parameters without touching and provide vital parameters remotely on your computer or mobile phone. It works on the principle of Ballistocardiography (BCG). The sensor sheet under the bed captures micro vibrations of the body, and using the algorithm with artificial intelligence, we can track patient vitals.
- Enhanced vital monitoring system and continuous remote patient monitoring
- Generation of smart alerts
- Fall prevention alert
- Saves nursing time
- Contactless
We have set up a state of art Radiation Oncology department equipped with Varian EDGE with Hyper Arc MR LINAC Unity by Elekta for precise and targeted radiation therapy along with 30 channel Bravos Brachytherapy system for internal radiation therapy and ETHOS with Hypersight & Identify revolutionizing Radiation therapy planning with unprecedented precision with AI technology at Yashoda Medicity
In today’s healthcare landscape, seamless coordination with the pharma supply chain and the medical device ecosystem is crucial to ensure timely and quality care. How does Yashoda Super Specialty Hospital collaborate with pharmaceutical partners and medical device manufacturers to ensure availability and cost-efficiency?
Yashoda Super Specialty Hospital is a brand that is 35 years old, and we have been maintaining good relations with our pharmaceutical and medical device partners by maintaining transparency, on-time payments, and ethical values. We are Green channel partners of our pharmaceutical and medical device colleagues.
What are the biggest gaps you see in India’s healthcare system today, and how can they be addressed? How does Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital stay prepared for future healthcare challenges or crises?
The healthcare industry has been in a state of continuous turmoil in the late 2010s with a dearth of specialized manpower and equipment, especially in the remote areas and tier 2 and 3 cities. This has been due to a lower allocation of health budget and the brain drain of specialized manpower over the years. However, things have started improving in the early 2020s with better allocation to health in the budget, followed by increased spending on healthcare, the effects of which were seen during COVID-19, wherein India’s response to the pandemic had been an eye-opener to the world. There has been an increase in the number of Medical and Nursing colleges across the country, along with the development of skill councils to produce an increased number of paramedics and support staff focused on the healthcare industry, leading to capacity building.
The strengthening of PHC and CHC in terms of infrastructure and equipment has been overwhelming. Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital is always focused on with advanced world-class quality patient care in Delhi NCR at an affordable price. Our aim is to deliver world-class patient care services in a comprehensive manner to every individual with an emphasis on quality, service excellence, empathy, and patient respect since the beginning. In all our endeavors, we have continuously strived to upgrade our facilities and equipment to match world-class standards and have consistently invested in making available the latest medical technologies.
What are your plans for expansion or introducing new specialties going forward?
We have commissioned our state-of-the-art hospital, Yashoda Medicity, this year. It would be a 1200-bedded quaternary care, state-of-the-art hospital with 630 beds being commissioned on a massive 8 acres of land with aesthetic landscape and greenery. It is a gamechanger in North India with its state-of-the-art 250-bedded modular ICU, one of the largest modular Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setups in South Asia in collaboration with Draeger, a renowned global medical and safety technology solutions provider.
The hospital would be a Green building with a Platinum level of Leeds certification of Green accreditation, along with an Electric car charging facility. The hospital would be completely digitized with a centralized command centre, along with quality of care exceeding expectations from its beginning. It would be NABL and NABH-accredited from its first phase, aiming to serve communities across the nation and beyond. It would focus on patient satisfaction and excellent patient outcomes. It has centres of excellence in all specialties and super-specialties, with renowned clinicians working with leading-edge technologies. It would be a transplant centre that offers Heart, Lung, and Liver transplants, besides Kidney transplants.
The hospital is installing state-of-the-art infrastructure, and the Emergency Department would have a dedicated Radiology department including a CT, MRI, and Ultrasound machine, and a state-of-the-art X-ray machine. It has an Operation theatre for carrying out emergency operations for trauma and roadside accident cases, along with a 15-bedded ICU to provide specialized healthcare to Trauma patients within the golden hour. There is diagnostic Cardiology equipment such as ECHO, etc, dedicatedly to the emergency department for patients coming with heart ailments so that swift medical treatment can be provided. The Emergency is having a 4-bedded stroke ICU exclusively for Stroke patients to provide effective expert care to Stroke patients, maintaining door-to-needle time as per international standards.
Recognizing the critical importance of timely medical intervention, Yashoda Medicity features a dedicated helipad, besides an air ambulance, facilitating swift access for emergency air transport. The Radiology and Cardiology department is also being equipped with state-of-the-art equipment from Wipro-GE and Philips. We have commissioned one of the most advanced MRIs in the world, along with an advanced CATHLAB, for all coronary interventions, along with complex neurological diagnostic procedures. Our Diagnostic department is being equipped with a PET CT, which would be one of the most advanced PET-CTs in the world. The SPECT CT has hybrid imaging, which enhances sensitivity, specificity, and capability to identify abnormalities in the body, providing quick and accurate results with Artificial Intelligence technology.
The hospital has also installed a state-of-the-art Pneumatic Tube System from Aerocom, a German company, which is a world leader in Pneumatic tube systems technology. Pneumatic tube systems, which would facilitate rapid and secure transport of samples, medications, and documents within the hospital premises, enhancing operational efficiency and patient care
Central Sterile Services Department equipment in Yashoda Medicity has been installed from Belimed, a renowned Swiss company with over 50 years of expertise to ensure efficient sterilization and decontamination of medical equipment, instruments, and supplies, upholding the highest standards of infection control at par with international standards.
Yashoda Medicity is one of the only hospital in India, which will have a very strong Oncology department with 3 LINUX machines, Nuclear Medicine along with state of the art Cyberknife systems, with which we aim to pioneer new frontiers in cancer treatment, offering hope and healing to increasing number of cancer patients from across the globe. The Radiation Oncology department is equipped with Varian EDGE with Hyper Arc MR LINAC Unity by Elekta for precise and targeted radiation therapy, along with a 30-channel Bravos Brachytherapy system for internal radiation therapy, and ETHOS with Hypersight &
Identify revolutionizing Radiation therapy planning with unprecedented precision. Our next projects would be Yashoda Super Speciality Hospital, Greater Noida, which will have a Bio-bank and would be a hospital focused on Liver Transplants. We are also looking at operating hospitals with the Delhi government under the PPP model in the time to come.
What advice would you give to young healthcare professionals or aspiring hospital administrators?
My sincere advice to all healthcare professionals is to do your work honestly, as the healthcare industry is a growing industry, and hard work always pays. You have to be polite, helpful to others, and work earnestly. You are lucky to be in a profession where you can do seva to people, as the Indian culture believes “Nar sewa is Narayan sewa”.
