India is seeing a boom in health care sector. We asked Shiv Raman Dugal, Chairman & Founder of ICRI on the career options in this sector.

Q1: How has Health care industry evolved, where is it heading to by 2025? What is ICRI projection?

As reported by various research organizations, the Indian healthcare industry is seen to be growing at a rapid pace and is expected to grow US$280 billion by 2025. The Indian healthcare market was estimated at US$35 billion in 2007 and is expected to reach over US$70 billion by 2012 and US$145 billion by 2017.

As per the Investment Commission of India the healthcare sector has experienced phenomenal growth of 12 per cent per annum in the last 4 years. As per our projection, 6% of GNP of India will be spent on healthcare.

Q2: What are the career opportunities for a Health Care student at entry level?

There are various career opportunities of health care like government health care sector, hospital consultancy firms, hospital planning and quality, IT industries, teaching, lifestyle clinics, health insurance, NGO’s, Health Insurance , Health Informatics etc.

Q3: Please pick top 5 career options in health Care Industry.

Some career options available for students are like Hospital Administrators, Hospital Services Operations Managers, Chief Executive Officer of Health Care Organisations, Health Executives, Hospital Accreditation Experts & Consultants, Hospital Legal System Advisors, Hospital Architecture Planning and Designing Consultants, Hospital Project Consultants, Medical Tourism Executives.

Q4: What are the Emotional and personality skills necessary for Health Care Industry?

Each health career requires different skill sets and personality traits. However, there are a few common attributes which most health care careers require on some level. Some of them are excellent interpersonal and communication skills, some level of technical or mathematics capacity, a strong work ethic apart from a great deal of responsibility and maturity.

One should be person who loves to learn new things with a desire to update information on the development of new technology, advanced procedures, emerging treatments, and even new diseases.

Q5: What are the vocational skills, graduate skills and post graduate skills required for the industry?

A simple Graduate from any background with a minimum of 50% aggregate can enter the industry.

Q6: What is the feedback of ICRI alumni on the prospects home and abroad?

As per our records, majority of students who are yet to complete their course (2008-2010 batches) have already been placed in major hospitals, management consultancy firms and insurance companies. Thus they find this course a valuable career investment.

Q7: There are so many careers a student can choose from. Why Health Care?

India will need over 700,000 Healthcare Management professionals by 2012. Rising income levels and a growing elderly population are all factors that contribute towards the growth in this sector. In addition, changing demographics, disease profiles and the shift from chronic to lifestyle diseases in the country with rising per capita income has led to increased spending on healthcare by community.

India is having centres of healthcare delivery, but the facilities are limited and are inadequate in meeting the current healthcare demands. Many Indian states do not have laboratories for testing drugs; moreover these laboratories are not properly equipped or staffed. This clearly shows the huge gap in the supply to the demand for this sector. Hence this is an Upcoming industry with huge demand for professionals creating unlimited job opportunities and also increasing the growth potential those already serving in various healthcare related establishments.

Q8: Please rate the education and training infrastructure for Health Care industry in the country and with comparison with infrastructure in advanced nations.

The education & training infrastructure is very poor in India. In UK & US even University run such programs. But in India this is not true; and these programs have been introduced by a few institutions like AIIMS.

Q9: Are Indian degrees in Health care recoganized abroad? How do Universities and Health industry react to an Indian student with an Indian Health care degree abroad?
Universities offering the course are recognised but Indian degrees in health care are not recognised.

Q10: What is the outlook for ICRI? How does it differentiate itself?

ICRI Health as pioneer in the field of Health Care Management related education, training, accreditation, research and consultancy will provide value added innovative tailor-made healthcare industry related world class courses which will enhance knowledge, expertise and create employment opportunities of aspiring candidates and executives in India & abroad. It aims to create benchmark of world class standards in healthcare educational services by practicing our philosophy of “always be the best and second to none in the world”. This is envisaged to be achieved by imparting knowledge, hands on experience and inculcating habit of inquisitiveness, academic pursuit and self-discipline apart from compassion and empathy.

Q11: What is the government stance on Health Care industry and how does it impact health care education careers in future?

The government of India has taken several initiatives to attract foreign investments in India. Not only foreign establishments but also entrepreneurs from India can reap the benefits of the growing Indian Market. Also the government has taken commitment for provision of “Health for All” right from peripheral to rural and urban slums through National & Rural Health Mission, which will entail very large human resource capital in health sector.

Q12: Do you see international health care schools setting shop in India? Is there a plan for ICRI to set up premises overseas?

According to Mc Kinsey Report India’s health care industry will reach staggering US$ 190 billion. Healthcare sector is set to change drastically in India in the near future. Many corporate organizations have unfolded their plans to build state-of-art thirty to fifty hospitals each including Super speciality hospitals in metros and second tier cities. Some of them have plans to expand in Middle East and South Asian Countries. India today has number of world class corporate hospitals equipped with the most advanced technology and highly qualified and experienced clinicians.

Thus to gain an understanding of the universal challenges faced by the health care managers and to develop the management traits and essential skills required by a Health Administrator it is important that international healthcare school like Cranfield University, Medical University of South Carolina enter the Indian market.

MHA-Global offers multi-campus options for ICRI students in Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States.

Considered an expert on education and foreign education in India, Shiv Raman Dugal, is a well–known speaker at conferences, university symposia, and corporate programs. Mr. Dugal worked for over 37 years in India and overseas in various management fields, founded several companies and was actively involved in planning and implementing strategies for companies in Management, software, Fashion designing, travel and tourism, aviation, logistics & supply Chain, Clinical Research and Healthcare. He started ICRI when the clinical research education in India was negligible. In the year 2007, under his stewardship ICRI established ICRI Health to provide the same successful formula of education as had been applied in the clinical research sector to Health Operations Management & Medical Tourism. In 2008 ICRI went global by establishing successful organizations like ICRI Global Research a UK-based organisation and a division of ICRI and ICRI Singapore in 2009. Mr. Dugal has been responsible for raising the organisation’s delivery capability to world-class standards. Under his leadership, ICRI has been assessed at global standards of education.
 
Mr. Dugal is a University topper in B.A (Hons) Economics from Delhi University with an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). Mr. Dugal is also a Fellow of Institute of Professional Sales UK, Advance Management program from Harvard and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from Chartered Institute of Marketing UK.

He is an active member of many Industry Associations and Societies and has served these bodies in various capacities in implementing their programmes.