Health care prism

Updated on: Monday, December 28, 2009

THE healthcare industry in India earns revenue accounting for 5.2% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Experts in the sector predict an increase in revenue in the coming five years to almost 6.2% of the GDP.

Healthcare has emerged as one of the largest service sectors in India and currently employment opportunities are provided to as many as four million people in the core healthcare segment or other related sectors. The burgeoning scope of employment opportunities can be attributed significantly to the fact that today healthcare is not just about diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Instead, healthcare refers to an umbrella of services that affect physical, psychological and emotional well-being . "Beyond the hospital, there is the fitness industry, health promotion, holistic healing, alternative medicine, health insurance, group specialties, medical tourism, medical transcription, hospices, healthcare of senior citizens and even health townships," says S M Sapatnekar, director and dean, CREMA. "With the increasing bandwidth of services there is a requirement for not just doctors but administrators, managers, supervisors and entrepreneurs, among others."

Sapatnekar adds that doctors today are required to undergo greater sub-specialisations in comparison to a few years back "Joint replacements, sensory implants, organ transplants and cosmetic surgery are just some of the services that are being offered by hospitals that necessitate deeper sub-specialisations."

He further elaborates, "Today owing to advances in medical research and better understanding of human body functions there are many more options at the biological level and a greater need for specialists. Moreover, today there is a need for faster transport, real time communications and standardisation of almost all processes and digitisation of data within the medical industry.

For instance, a coronary bypass operation needs a perfusionist who is second only to a heart surgeon. Transplants of organs cannot be contemplated unless there is strong support in terms of tissue matching, tissue preservation, transport of organs and arranging the donor and recipient in real time (they may be at different locations). Each of these steps requires a specially trained health person."

CAREER SCOPE
It is evident that in today's context healthcare entails a complex matrix of services. Consequently, healthcare management has emerged as a discipline that holds promise for life science graduates and management graduates . Talking about some of the newer areas within the healthcare sector in which employment opportunities abound, Col S V Ramany, chief group operations, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, says, "Today within hospitals and medical chains there is a need for people who can ensure that their organisations have strong medical, operational and financial footing to serve the needs of patients, their families and communities. These are essentially trained professionals who work in partnership with physicians, nurses and other professionals. They also help in educating community members about important health issues and work towards ensuring that hospitals and other healthcare organisations provide emergency and ongoing care as well as accurate and timely information about public threats in times of crisis."

Ramany adds that healthcare executives who can be either specialists (in charge of specific medical departments or services) or generalists (who manage or help to manage an entire healthcare organisation or system) can find employment in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, public health departments, mental health organisations, rehabilitation centres, universities and research institutions, nursing homes, consulting firms, health insurance organisations and healthcare associations, among others.

The initial jobs in the healthcare sector range from entry to mid-level organisational positions in specialised support areas, such as finance, government relations, human resources, information systems, marketing and public relations, medical staff relations, material management (purchasing of equipment and supplies), nursing administration, patient care services, planning and development, healthcare financing, human resources, health policy and law, marketing, organisational behaviour and other healthcare management topics.

"The core skill-set one develops in a healthcare management sector provides a competitive advantage within the healthcare field. In addition, these skills transfer readily across a variety of other industries, providing one with flexibility for non-health sector positions as well," adds Ramany.

However, graduates of other programmes (apart from life sciences) can also begin their careers as staff employees in various clinical and administrative departments of hospitals or health-related organisations. "Graduates may assume roles as managers and supervisors in smaller organisations, such as primary-care offices, clinics, outpatient laboratories and public health or human service non-governmental agencies," informs Ramany. "A graduate education in health services management provides the initial education for a professional career in health services management.

However, degrees in other areas, such as business, nursing and liberal arts or computer software, may also qualify one for a career in this area. A Bachelor's degree is sufficient for some entry level positions, a few top positions in smaller organisations and for some middle-management jobs in larger organisations," he explains.

Timesofindia

Health care prism

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