Pablo Picasso once said ‘action is the foundational key to all success’. In healthcare, success comes after years of toil and hard work. At the hospital, success is even more elusive for those who are not doctors. For Neeraj Lal, CEO, BAPS Shastriji Maharaj Hospital, Vadodara, success came after much struggle and tough grind. This small town boy has helped set up many leading healthcare organisations in Gujarat and steered them to success.
After finishing schooling from Roorkee, where his father worked (IIT Roorkee) and where he was brought up, Lal graduated in medical technology from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. A good student, he won the Aikat Memorial gold medal for best outgoing student in PGI in 1996. However, life as medical technologist was difficult as there were very few job opportunities. This was 1996, and the era of successful corporate hospitals was about to begin. Apollo hospitals had just started their hospital in Delhi. Luckily, Lal got a job at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital and this career move stirred him towards hospital administration. “Although, I was busy and had a lot to learn, I wanted to do something more,” says Lal. On the insistence of then HOD Dr Sangita Rawat and his father, Lal joined Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai to gain a Masters degree in hospital administration.
His administrative career began in 2001 at the Shri Krishna Hospital & PS Medical College, Karamsad, Anand as senior executive. He then moved to UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology & Research Centre, Civil hospital, Ahmedabad as CEO. “My first interaction with government officials and secretaries was at UN Mehta hospital. I learned government policies and protocols there,” explains Lal. His next big assignment was with SAL Hospital & Medical Institute, Ahmedabad where he worked as senior manager operations. “At Sal hospital, I implemented HIMS and RFID technology for ease of operations,” he recounts.
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| Neeraj Lal with his family |
After a brief stint at Sterling Hospitals, Ahmedabad and Vadodara as head, business development his next halt was Shalby Hospitals, Ahmedabad. “I lead the team at Sterling and Shalby Hospitals for empanelment of PSU, private sector corporate, national and international insurance companies,” Lal proclaims.
At Shalby Hospital, Lal spent five years in various senior administrative roles. “I left Shalby as Senior Vice President. I headed the operations, quality, academics and strategic alliances. I was instrumental in getting NABH,NABL,ISO and various awards in healthcare including prestigious Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award, FICCI Healthcare Excellence Award and Emerging India Award for the hospital. I even started academics in the hospital and courses like DNB Ortho (first in Gujarat), Fellowship in Pain Management and Critical Care Medicine,” he says.
At the same time he was also the accreditation coordinator for NABH and NABL and a certified internal auditor for ISO 9001:2000.
Getting the title of Assessor for International Society for Quality in Healthcare Care- ISQua Surveyor on the International Accreditation Programme (IAP) based in Ireland (2011) was the proudest moment of his life. “Quality in healthcare is my passion and that cultivated my further interest to get involved in Global Healthcare Quality System in order to contribute to the Indian accreditation and quality enhancement as quality to me is a journey and constant improvement,” he affirms. “I think quality is the vehicle which passes through each and every corner of the hospital. After gaining experience in each and every aspects of hospital administration, I thought of entering in healthcare quality in 2005 and did some course, workshops with WCI, JCI and finally applied for ISQua as International Surveyor from India. They accepted my request and profile during January 2011 and made me ISQua international assessor for three years. Dr Gayatri Vyas Mahindroo, Director-NABH and Dr Girdhar Gyani, CEO-NABH was instrumental in guiding and mentoring me for ISQua,” shares Lal.
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Mixed Bag |
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He is also associated with various institutes and universities for teaching programmes in hospital management as visiting faculty and external examiner. Some of these are Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), All Indian Institute of Local Self Govt (AIILSG), Ahmedabad, CM Patel College of Nursing, Civil Hospital, Gandhinagar, Jotiba College of Nursing, Bhandu, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan and IIPH Gandhinagar
Other than administrative duties, Lal does not forget his social duties. Apart from helping various small clinics and dispensaries streamline their operations he also finds time to teach underprivileged children through the Teach India programme, an initiative by The Times of India.
His family consists of wife Neha Lal who is General Manager with GCS Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre in Ahmedabad and three and half year-old son. “My strength is my wife, who has given me encouragement throughout my career and equally responsible to make my profession life memorable as a whole. We have worked together in many hospitals in same areas.”
Lal like to spend off-duty time playing badminton, reading business magazines and listening to all-time hits of Kishore Kumar.
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