Melting Pot Of Technology And Medicine

- Amita Jain

While change is ‘a constant’ in most of the job markets, healthcare sector is ringing in good fortune for engineers and managers. With its stability, job satisfaction and growth prospects, the healthcare sector is a good bet for those interested in pursuing a career at the intersection of healthcare, engineering and management. “It is a preconceived notion that healthcare is an industry only for doctors and nurses. Like any other industry it has its own set of business objectives, and hence, creates exciting opportunities for engineering and management students,” says Ankit Chhabra, Digital Marketing Manager at Fortis Healthcare, who completed five-year B.Tech and MBA dual degree programme from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai.

The advent of telemedicine, Electronic Medical Records (EMR), digital and wireless medical devices and the like are amalgamating the domains of medicine and technology as never before, creating new job roles that fit both engineering and management graduates. Healthcare has become one of India’s largest sectors both in terms of revenue and employment. According to India Brand Equity Foundation, a knowledge centre established by the Government of India, the Indian healthcare sector is expected to create about 40 million jobs by 2030.

Job roles for engineering graduates

The burgeoning technology needs of healthcare are letting IT professionals and engineers breakin. “Candidates from technical backgrounds get the maximum jobs in online healthcare delivery, website maintenance, database handling, algorithm design, operations and supply chain, Healthcare IT Management, Equipment Maintenance, IT consultation, Product Head (Medical devices), among others,” says Dr. Ashok Kaushik, Dean (Academic & Students Affairs) at Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) University, Jaipur.