Hospital sector could grow at 18% when Covid ends: Manipal Hospitals CEO

The Omicron situation is still evolving but the early signs are ominous, says Jose

After the crippling second wave, the hospital sector bounced back in September as patients returned for non-covid care. Dilip Jose, MD and CEO of Manipal Hospitals, the country’s second largest hospital network, speaks to Sohini Das on the outlook for 2022.

How bad was 2021?

The second wave was a very testing period. Apart from the severe strain on infrastructure, disruptions in the supply chain even for vital items constrained cash flows. Even more challenging were the demands on our frontline clinical teams.

But there was a big positive. While hospitals took the lead, the entire healthcare ecosystem, including pharma, medtech and insurance