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| 'All of R-Power's UMPPs will have 50-bed community hospitals' |
| P B Jayakumar / Mumbai May 20, 2009, 00:22 IST |
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 The recently started Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Research Institute in Mumbai, a 750-bed tertiary care hospital with one of the largest healthcare infrastructure in the country, has many firsts among Indian corporate hospitals – a three-room intra-operative MRI suite that enables surgeons to get realtime MRI images, a trilogy machine to deliver precision radiation treatment, India’s largest central sterile services department and Novalis Tx machines to deliver radio surgical treatment to tumors inside brain, a GAIT lab to detect muscle fractures, the largest number of elevators in a hospital set-up with 30 elevators that can transport 7,500 patients per hour, a 500-seater conference hall exclusively for medical conferences and the like.
The institute, envisaged on the lines of some of the best healthcare facilities in the world, is the brain child of chairperson TINA AMBANI, a former actress and wife of one of the world’s richest businessmen, Anil Ambani. She spoke to PB JAYAKUMAR about the hospital, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) group’s healthcare plans and the ADA group in general. Excerpts:
After the split in the Reliance group, the healthcare vertical under Reliance Health was one of the major business avenues planned by the ADA group. But, so far, we have not seen much progress for Reliance Health, when compared with your other businesses, such as telecom, power & infrastructure, entertainment and financial services. What is the reason for this?
In India, healthcare is an evolving business and the level of awareness and the availability of quality healthcare is yet to gain momentum. We do not have much experience in the healthcare space. We need to learn a lot when we look at this from a business angle. If you look at hospital chains in India, such as Wockhardt, Fortis or Apollo, all these chains are promoted by people having pharma or medical background.
I see healthcare from a social angle and, as a responsible business house, the ADA group will aim to work for the betterment of health of the people in the country. So far, quality healthcare is expensive in India and our healthcare expenditure is not taken care of by the government through insurance, as done in many other countries. We lack great healthcare institutions with high quality doctors and facilities on the lines of John Hopkins or Cleveland Hospital (in the US). My vision is to make Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital a world-class facility that can match such great hospitals in terms of facilities and services.
To answer your question on why we are slow, I should say we are not going slow in the healthcare field. We could develop this hospital within a span of four-five years. It was not an easy task. Lots of planning, the hardwork of many people and significant investments have gone into this facility spread across 1 million square feet of space on 19 floors.
We could recruit some of the best available doctors and paramedics from different parts of the world. We could launch the hospital within three to four years of planning. This is only a beginning. Reliance Health’s other businesses are also flourishing. Medybiz has rolled out its geriatric healthcare support services in over 20 cities. Medi-Assist is already among the top three health insurance companies in India.
In India, more than 70 per cent of the people lack access to quality healthcare and private corporate hospitals are unaffordable for even middle-class and upper middle-class people. In that sense, how will your hospital benefit ordinary people?
This is a trust-run, not-for-profit hospital. We have reserved beds for free treatment for deserving poor patients as per the mandatory norms. One cannot give everything for free. We have made significant investments in the hospital and, in the long run, it should generate its own funds for survival. We cannot keep on pumping in money. But we are not looking at this hospital as a business proposition, like when should it break-even and what profits I can make from this venture. Late Dhirubhai Ambani had said a hospital is not a place where money and profit are important and every single life saved or a patient cured would give him more satisfaction than mere financial gain. We are driven by this vision. Treatment at this hospital is comparatively cheaper than any other quality institution.
Are you saying that Reliance Health’s healthcare initiatives will be confined only to corporate social responsibility?
No, we have business interests and that will continue under Reliance Health. But this hospital will be a not-for-profit one. We see this as a benchmark to raise India’s global standing as a healthcare destination.
Are you planning to develop a chain of hospitals? Also, there were reports that Reliance Health is planning medicities and an entry into the drug distribution business...
This hospital is the flagship project of Reliance Health and, for the time being, we are concentrating only on this hospital. We are only in the first phase and have opened only 120 beds employing about 1,000 professionals, including 150 resident doctors. In the next phase, within six months, we will increase this number to 750 beds employing over 3,000 people. The infrastructure for 750 beds is ready, but the issue is availability of quality professionals and support staff. We will soon start a nursing college to generate quality paramedics who are up to our benchmark standards. A lot of work has to be done for this hospital – it is like a new-born baby. I have to see it grow and stand on its own legs and sustain itself.
As of now, we are not planning any medicities or drug distribution business, which we have stalled due to adverse market conditions. We are planning 50-bed community hospitals at all the three ultra mega power projects (UMPPs) of Reliance Power.
What is your role in ADA group business, apart from the CSR initiatives of the group?
Like any other Indian housewife, I have a role in supporting my family and the business interests of my husband Anil. Companies under the group are run by professionals and business decisions are taken by them. I have interests in community development and am active in our CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities. From the age of 16, my career was supported by the masses and I believe I have the responsibility to pay them back.
Now many corporate houses and film stars show an interest in owning Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket teams. Will you buy one?
It is a beautiful and wonderful concept, similar to the European Football League. As of now, the ADA group is not planning to buy a team.
Many common investors in Reliance group believe that Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani should unite, rather than running businesses separately. Your comments....
I believe in destiny. I will not comment anything beyond that.
What is your dream or next ambition?
I am happy if the hard work and efforts of me and Anil spent in shaping up the ADA group in the past few years translate into big success and, thus, help our employees and the people of India.
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