Balancing Efficiency and Compassion: The Welcare Hospital Story
Hindustan Bytes 
The era of patient-centric healthcare seems to be long gone as we see heavily funded corporate hospitals set up shop every morning, swallowing patients by afternoon and spitting them out by night.
By definition, a corporate hospital is a business run by a corporation formed by businessmen with no medical degrees or healthcare experience whatsoever, with the sole objective of turning profits rather than providing high quality and well meaning patient-care.
At the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult for doctors to run their own clinics and offer high quality patient care whilst competing with large corporate hospitals with deep pockets. This has inevitably led to a sharp decline in the quality of treatment offered at nursing homes and clinics.
In this rat race between Corporate Hospitals and Nursing Homes/Clinics, patients end up suffering the most.
Hence, the need of the hour is Doctor-Owned-Hospitals (DOH) where the CEO of the hospital and the doctor treating a patient are the same person!
A DOH offers efficient, top-notch patient care at a lower cost, emphasizing the quality of care over quantity of patients. Doctors maintain a vested interest in their patients’ care and are empowered to directly make medical decisions based on the best interest of their patients. Compassionate, efficient, quality patient-centered care builds the foundation of DOHs.
Lucky for us, Welcare Hospital in Vadodara is one such Doctor-Owned-Hospital that has proved time and again that all hope is not lost in the healthcare industry. The CEO & Chief Surgeon of Welcare Hospital, Dr. Bharat Mody, has worked all his life to create a hospital and institution that provides the corporate efficiency of processes along with the family warmth and patient-care of private nursing homes and clinics.
Having said that, what really sets Welcare Hospital apart from other hospitals is the fact that the ‘Corporation’ in this case is made up entirely of Dr. Bharat Mody and his family – Dr. Harshida Mody (wife/Obstetrician & Gynaecologist), Dr. Kshitij Mody (elder son/Orthopaedic surgeon) and Dr. Aashay Mody (younger son) having just completed his MBBS with a goal of joining his family at Welcare after his post-graduate training. In addition to this, an experienced staff of over 150 personnel ensures that no complications arise in the process of implementing the doctors’ orders.
Since every aspect of the hospital’s functioning is spearheaded by a group of doctors, Welcare Hospital manages to efficiently cope with the rising tide of patients and consistently steers itself in the right direction with a patient oriented system, foolproof services and affordable treatment.
For example, Dr. Bharat Mody, is responsible for not only playing the role of the Chief Surgeon and treating his patients but also for managing various other departments of the hospital ranging from Human Resources to Housekeeping Services to the Maintenance Department etc.
Helping him is his wife, Dr. Harshida Mody, an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist by profession, and a vital part of the hospital dynamics. She has devoted her life to assuring every patient leaves with a smile on his/her face by playing multiple roles at the institution and managing various departments of the hospital.
In addition to the doctor couple, Dr. Kshitij Mody, elder of the two sons, is a young and dynamic surgeon who works as an Orthopaedic Consultant at Welcare and is currently undergoing training to become the Chief Surgeon alongside his father. He has successfully integrated himself in the hospital’s mechanics, diligently attending to all patients and assisting his father in surgeries.
Every decision regarding any service concerning a patient is collectively made by the family, which not only means that there is an entire group of doctors pining for the patient’s speedy recovery but also that a personal touch is imparted to the care of every patient, be it a patient with a minor complaint or one requiring extensive treatment.
It is important to note here that as a family lives and grows together, there is a certain level of comfortand chemistry between the people running the show. This essentially translates into a healthy discussion on complex decisions regarding patient-care, with everyone’s opinions being considered and valued. This may not always be present in hospitals where most decisions are ‘corporate mandated’ or ‘dictated by protocols.’
It is a fact that an institution can function smoothly only when its employees think of it as their own and Welcare Hospital sees no problem on that front as it is blessed with a staff of 150+, all part of the Welcare Family.
As such, Welcare Hospital finds in itself the compassion to create a bond with its patients and to restrain itself from over-stretching their wallets with avoidable tests and medications, essentially making it one of the first Private-Family-Corporate hospitals India has seen!
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