Here’s my healthcare journey summarised.
Tambaram, Chennai is my home where I was raised in a humble family. I’m a graduate in Microbiology with honours at SRM Arts and Science College in 1997. This academic path led me to a career in healthcare starting as a microbiologist at the Tamil Nadu hospital under the guidance of Dr. Rathi Lawrence, CE. It was during this time that my career aspirations blossomed, inspired by the world of hospital management. This motivation led me to pursue a masters degree in healthcare management systems sparking an interest in healthcare administration.
My father was and is my greatest inspiration. When asked who was our inspiration in school, all my friends were naming popular figures like Thomas Alwa Edison and Einstein. But to me it was simple – My father, from whom I proudly learned ethics, dedication and sincerity.
My administration path kicked off when I took up the role of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at JSP Hospital, within the Group of Deepam for five incredibly rewarding years. To call myself proud for leading the expansion from a modest 30-bed facility to 76-bed establishment, is truly an understatement. We established ourselves as the leaders of healthcare in the district of Kanchipuram, receiving international accreditation. Our guiding principle? Quality. So naturally recognition started flying in my way. I was honoured as the best performer during the year 2006-2007, packing myself a brand new laptop to home as recognition for my contributions to healthcare management.
After that (between 2007 to 2011), I wore many hats as an administrator – handling day-to-day operations, strategizing marketing efforts, maintaining top-notch facilities, and bringing in new talents. Watching the hospital expand from fifty to one hundred beds was a clear reflection of our commitment to exceptional healthcare.
Through the ups and downs of financial challenges, 2015 is the year I received the esteemed ‘Ownership Award’ from Mr. Malvinder Mohan Singh, Chairman of Fortis Health Care, recognizing my leadership during that year’s floods. With great roles, comes great responsibilities, they say right? That’s exactly what happened when my role was moved up from assistant manager at Vasan HealthCare Private Limited to the role of Head of Operations at Fortis Healthcare.
If you had met me in 2016, I would have introduced myself as the Director of General Management, Apollo Hospitals, Perungudi. Later that year, I became the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Gleneagles Global Hospital, leading operations at a top multi-organ transplant centre. While managing finances, building an engaging environment with a strong team of 1800 employees and 300 consultants was also on my plate. The next year, as Chief Operating Officer at MGM Healthcare, I led the push for NABH and JCI accreditation within fifteen months, setting new standards in healthcare excellence.
Then for 3 years, from 2019 to 2023 I took on the responsibility of Chief strategist at JOGO Health, South East Asia, where I worked majorly on (heavily involved in strengthening) stakeholder relations, resource management and finance management.
It’s been quite a journey, hasn’t it? Starting as a microbiologist at Tamil Nadu Hospital and eventually coming back as the Chief Operating Officer. Also, being on the board of SRM University reminded me how life’s journey comes full circle. In each hospital role, I tackled everything from operations to crisis management, talent and facility acquisitions, and more, making my mark in healthcare.
Looking back, those core values of being genuine, transparent, and ethical – those are the things that have guided me every step of the way. And in my mind, there’s no way an organisation in this field can have long-term success and real impact without having those same principles at its core.