“The patients are my first priority,” says Dr Tarang Gianchandani ,CEO of Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai. She graduated from Lady Hardinge Medical College which is Asia’s only women’s medical college, to become an orthopaedic surgeon; she went on to procuring an MBA from the National University of Singapore. She is one of the youngest women administrators spearheading the administration at Jaslok Hospital.
Speaking about how she became the current hospital administrator, Dr Gianchandani said, “I worked in couple of hospitals in Singapore and even in the Ministry of Health in Singapore at the Department of Hospital Services before shifting base to Mumbai.”
She confessed that the journey she took from being an orthopaedic surgeon to one of the youngest CEO of a hospital wasn’t an easy one.
“It is a tough and challenging job. Even the strongest of men will not envy my position. You have to deal with all sorts of people and handle several dynamics at a regulatory, legal, political and a judicial level,” said Dr Gianchandani.
She said since the time she took over as CEO of Jaslok Hospital there have been instances where people didn’t have confidence in her and her way of dealing with certain situations and administrative work.
“It is a male dominated country, where there is difficulty in accepting a woman as a leader. My ability to be a good hospital administrator was questioned due to my age and me being a woman. But, I have managed to silence my critics. The hospital trustee and my team have been very supportive,” said Dr Gianchandani.
Dr Gianchandani had taken over as CEO of Jaslok Hospital just days before the horrendous and gruesome Shakti Mills gang rape case happened. She said this incident made her stronger and confident. “I was a new comer to Mumbai and didn’t know how the police system and other things in the city work. I had never handled the media before this. But, I knew that I had to safeguard the confidentiality of the girl and ensure that she gets the best possible treatment. In the process, I learnt how to manage people in such a crisis,” said Dr Gianchandani.
It has been five years since she became the CEO of Jaslok Hospital and Dr Gianchandani had brought in many patient centric initiatives at the hospital that have ensured that Jaslok remains at the top of the competition in south Mumbai.
“Patients come first and I ensured my doctors are convinced about it. I made my staff realise the importance of the patients in our lives. This mantra has made us remain one of the most favoured hospitals in Mumbai,” said Dr Gianchandani.
One of her many patient centric initiatives includes having patient focus groups. “Every month, we pick up 20 patients who have been discharged from our hospital randomly. They or their relatives are asked for a feedback. Even if the suggestions are small or simple, they are treated as the most important ones. These suggestions make a huge difference,” she said. She also personally monitors each and every online feedback by patients.
When asked about what she is planning next plan as the CEO of the hospital, she said that upgrading the infrastructure of Jaslok Hospital is her next challenge. “The hospital infrastructure is forty-four years old and we need an immediate upgradation of the same. That is the only weakness we have as a hospital. It will take 3 to 4 years, but the work has begun,” said Dr Gianchandani.