Transform or Perish

Dr Alok Roy, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee, and Chairman of Medica Group of Hospitals, on the news ways of engagement for hospitals

- RITA DUTTA

How hospitals can bounce back from the current downturn in business, caused by the COVID-19 outbreak?

Hospitals need to transform and find new ways to engage. The ones that cannot transform would perish. Hospitals need to maintain the balance between providing treatment to COVID and non COVID patients. When COVID cases surge, hospitals have to cater more to COVID treatment than non COVID treatment, and when COVID subsides they have to cater more to non COVID patients. This see-saw between COVID and non COVID would continue for some more months.

Already, hospitals have started witnessing recovery in business and they would recover fully in the next few months. Hospitals need to realise that surgeries have only been deferred and soon the number of surgeries would be like before, and soon the business would be like before. However, like other industries, healthcare also needs to embrace the ‘New Normal’.

Cost of care has increased due to the ‘New Normal’. Would it be the same in the future?

Hospitals would not be able to provide services at the earlier cost, given the safety measures and infrastructure changes needed now. So, obviously, the cost of care would be more than before.

Hospitals have received flak for exorbitant charges of COVID treatment. What are your views on making the treatment more affordable?