Ethical operations – empathetic treatments and environmental concerns
View(s):- New Service Standards in the healthcare sector (From being Pathetic to Empathetic)
The ageing population in South Asia is driving growth in the healthcare sector, especially in Sri Lanka and India. Additionally, there has been a rise in the industry that is held accountable for addressing patients in a “pathetic” or less forceful manner. Staff members are primarily accused of being callous, while doctors are faulted for not approaching patients in an empathetic manner. Patients now think that the hospital just cares about itself and its activities in order to make as much money as possible.As seen in the above graphic, as the number of elderly persons rises, the population pyramid will no longer resemble a pyramid and will instead resemble a cylinder. Many chances are presented to those who anticipate working in the healthcare sector by the merger of the two and the growth in the health insurance industry, which is again thought to be expanding hand in hand with advancements in the industry. It also demonstrates that, in terms of health spending per capita in the region, Sri Lanka leads the pack.
Numerous additional incentives, some of which are unethical given that most doctors are involved in a never-ending rat race to see patients from one institution to another, are also contributing to the sector’s rise. However, it is the patients who require the additional attention that private sector physicians and hospitals can provide. Consequently, physicians always have more negotiating power with hospitals than patients have with the facilities where the physicians are employed. According to Michael Porter, doctors have far more negotiating power than patients or hospitals since without them, the latter would not be able to meet all of the former’s requests.
In light of this, it is clear that some hospitals continue to invest in new equipment, which is mostly assessed by the physicians and those in charge of the hospitals’ finances. Therefore, some hospitals have established incentives for their staff, including doctors, to propose an increasing number of tests after verifying if the patient is covered by comprehensive insurance in order to offset the expense of the investments. It makes sense that hospitals would want to be paid as much as pharmaceutical corporations for persuading certain physicians to prescribe their brand of medication rather than generics.
On the other hand, patients are also better informed and aware of medications as a result of Google, so when a prescription is given to them, they also conduct their own preliminary research. It goes without saying that some doctors also use Google to help with medication prescriptions in addition to patients. The healthcare industry, which is among the most intricate service sector sectors after aviation, is currently experiencing greater profitability than in the past because patients and their guardians are more likely to follow medical professionals’ orders without question because many are unaware of the necessary treatments to resolve a particular issue.
Are there any exceptional cases?
Given that most patients feel powerless when they first attend a hospital for treatment, The Royal Care Hospital, one of the top medical facilities in South India, can be considered a classic illustration of how a hospital can be ethical rather than just profit-oriented. When it comes to major surgeries, people in Sri Lanka and the surrounding region have more faith in government hospitals. However, because of the inconvenience and potential psychological trauma, many would prefer to visit a private hospital instead of a government one because upholding service standards in the public sector is more difficult than in the private sector.
The Royal Care hospital in Koimbhatore serves as an example of how a hospital should run in an era where hospital management tries to maximise revenues and profits by imposing the need to conduct more and more surgeries and tests purely to generate a bigger ROI for their investors. India offers numerous additional instances, such the Aravind Eye Hospital, which turned into a historic endeavour for the treatment of cataracts in the country. When they grew to become the biggest cataract lens producer in the world, the social entrepreneurship that Dr. Aravind had introduced to the globe later presented them with enormous financial opportunities.
What’s unique about the Royal Care Hospital with compared to conventional private sector hospitals?
Dr. K. Madeswaran, the founder chairman of the hospital and a prominent “neuro-surgeon” in Coimbatore, is in charge of the current Royal Care Hospital. Mr. K.P. Alagesan, a well-known Coimbatore industrialist, and Dr. K. Chockalingam, M.D., D.M. (cardiology), an esteemed cardiologist, support him in his leadership. The combination of doctors and a forward-thinking businessman gives the directing team strength, concentration, and industry understanding.
“Every one of our directors firmly believes that society has an obligation to foster innovation, lower the cost of healthcare, and provide accessible diagnostics with empathy” – Dr Madeswaran.
Over INR 500 million has been invested in this facility, and it is the first of its sort in many areas in India, according to the hospital. The South Indian region has benefited from medical technology advancements sooner than anticipated. Nonetheless, the hospital holds itself to a high standard of ethics, setting an example for many hospitals in the private sector.
The Royal Care institution cannot deviate from the agency theory because, should physicians become shareholders, the majority of them will inevitably want to be involved in day-to-day management, which is not a possibility at this institution.
Doctors at Royal Care Hospital are time-rich and stress-free; they do not bounce around the hospital like a field salesperson attempting to hit daily or weekly goals. Rather, The Royal Care Hospital serves as their operational hub. As a result, patients would receive higher-quality care in the hospital as the doctor is more prepared to handle them.
No revenue targets made for the doctors or the personnel. This is a noteworthy accomplishment because Royal Care has grown as a newly invested institution and maintains the highest integrity levels, in contrast to many other hospitals that try to set goals to prescribe as many tests as possible to patients.
Leading from the top by setting an example: Dr. Madeswaran, the hospital’s best neurosurgeon, and his COO, Dr. Manisenthilkumar, have set extremely high standards for their staff and fellow physicians to uphold the divine status that patients bestow upon physicians.
Ethics, Empathy, and Environment – The hospital does not view ethics, empathy, and environment as independent pillars. Rather, they serve as the cornerstone for all that occurs at the hospital. Regarding the environment, Dr. Madeswaran’s goal is to manage their own plant nursery so that they can provide plants as gifts to patients.
In a time when hospitals’ compassionate, ecologically conscious, and ethical operations are essentially an add-on, it’s amazing to know that there are still instances where people can have better options for their lives. All of this has been made possible by Dr. Madeswaran’s hybrid career of medicine and entrepreneurship, which he shares with his group of talented medical professionals who support their leader’s desire to improve treatment for his fellow Indians.
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