‘’Our USP is adding comfort to care in all that we do with the help of the latest and best in terms of medical technology’’

Ruby Hall, a renowned healthcare player in and around Pune, has recently begun operations at their new boutique hospital based in Wanowarie, Pune. Built around the concept of ‘comfort with care’, the new centre boasts of world class facilities, be it in terms of infrastructure, technology or medical expertise. Bami Bhote, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic, shares more details about his new hospital, its USPs, further plans and more, in conversation with Lakshmipriya Nair

Tell us about the rationale behind setting up this boutique hospital?

Bami Bhote

Today, healthcare delivery within hospitals has gone beyond treating medical conditions. With the growing demand for comfort and exclusivity, hospitals now go out of the way to offer a combination of clinical expertise, personally tailored services and superb hospitality to its niche corporate clientèle and high net worth individuals. With the look and feel of a five star hotel and its focus redefined, boutique hospitals cater to quality conscious affluent patients. There has been a growing need among our corporate customers for an exclusive and comfortable hospital for medical care. Of late, a number of young corporate executives end up with lifestyle diseases and demand five star facilities. We have set up this hospital to fulfil their requirements.

What planning went into designing the new hospital? What are its USPs (in terms of infrastructure, technology, equipment etc.)

Barrier free environment and accessibility was taken into consideration while creating the urban design (external environment) as well as the building design (internal environment). The prevalence of green material is maximised and pristine interiors of the building compliment the urban exterior with use of glass and steel. The ambience created is spiritual and comfortable to elevate the spirit of the patient. The planning, design and final architectural expression in a healthcare project is reflective of the gradual shift in the outlook of healthcare institutions from merely treating the sick to a concerted approach towards healthy living. Our USP is adding comfort to care in all that we do with the help of the latest and best in terms of medical technology like fully digital systems for electronic medical records, real-time access to patient results, radiology imaging systems that provide transcribed reports, monitoring in all patient rooms, easy registration, digital surveillance and many more.

How is the new centre likely to enhance Ruby Hall Clinic’s existing service portfolio?

At Ruby Hall Clinic (RHC) the whole philosophy is to offer a comprehensive solution to a patient for his healthcare needs and with this new centre coming up, more focus would be laid on developing niche areas in medicine like obesity surgeries, breast clinic, cosmetic surgeries, robotic surgeries, foetal medicine, etc. Also, since the new centre provides exclusivity, patients have a choice to make keeping in mind their own comfort and convenience.

Are there any plans to enter into any new spheres of services?

This will definitely expand RHCs service portfolio by adding new services like radial lounge for cardiology, breast clinic for oncology, robotic surgery, etc. We are continuously evolving and our development is based on client needs and the shifting trends in the ever expanding healthcare industry. So, new sphere of services focussing more on the wellness components is being looked at and evaluated.

What are the new hospital’s plans and strategies for the next fiscal?

The plans and strategies would revolve around building higher throughput in healthcare facilities which focus on a limited number of niche clinical domains. These not only translate to higher patient satisfaction and more effective clinical outcomes, but the operational efficiencies which can be built into such a model also result in lower overheads, more specialised manpower and higher operating margins. We would also be working on a package system for a patient’s billing so that there is more transparency and less errors with better economics.

Are there any expansion plans in the offing?

We have already commenced construction of our new hospital at Hinjewadi and are planning to start our next venture at Amanora Park.

How has Ruby Hall hospitals grown from its inception. What have been the major learnings from the journey?

Ruby Hall Clinic was started more than 50 years back at a bungalow by Dr KB Grant, the founder of this institute. Over the years, it has grown to be the largest, most advanced and a highly acclaimed and renowned medical institute in Pune. With this new centre that now come up at Wanowarie, we successfully manage 720 patient beds with a patient base all over Maharashtra and are a tertiary care referral centre. Apart from this, we have satellite diagnostic centres in tier-II and tier-III cities with further plans of expansion. We are the biggest provider of medical services to corporates and run about 20 medical centres in major corporate companies and also at the Pune International Airport. Other than providing medical facilities, we focus a lot on academics and research. We churn out several nursing graduates, medical specialists and super-specialists every year. The major learning, I would say was to build the business foundation on a very high level of patient satisfaction by providing them with the best of clinical expertise along with high-end technology, not to forget, a customer- service approach.

What is the need of the hour in Indian healthcare? How does Ruby Hall intend to provide it?

Penetration of health insurance to the grass root level is the need of the hour. We are planning to work out a business model or a system with various health insurance companies, to offer maximum discounts to insurance policy holders based on business volumes. This would also help to contain the escalating medical costs.

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