29 October, 2014.
Payakaraopeta.
Dear Sri I N Murthy,
I often bring my children to your clinic when they are sick. I
believe you are an adequately qualified and talented doctor to help children
grow in a healthy and happy manner, advising them the best medicines available
and possible and offering reliable treatment whenever necessary. It is
difficult to assess the qualities and efficiency of any professional just after
a few informal interactions. It is easy to believe in somebody just like that.
India is a land of beliefs and loyalty. Indians take much time to believe in
somebody and once they repose trust in somebody, they continue that
relationship of trust and gratitude forever. Indians are being cheated and
misguided by various businessmen now. Doctors are not an exception to this
either.
Ordinary Indians are scared to enter a clinic or hospital because
they are unable to afford the costs of diagnostic investigations, medicines and
surgeries needed for them or for their children. In this context, you came to
India to be a children’s doctor, leaving your comfortable zone in the UK. It is
true that there is a great need of qualified and talented doctors in Indian towns
like Tuni and Payakaraopeta. We cannot rush to Visakhapatnam, Kakinada or
Rajahmundry for critical health problems. It demands time and costs of travel.
Ordinary people cannot afford it. So, your idea of starting a children’s clinic
at Payakaraopeta is not a wrong one. Your present pursuit of starting a
hospital is also very appreciable. If you can bring a few qualified and
talented specialist doctors to this hospital and earn a reputation for quality
service, really the people of this region must be considered lucky. I feel as
one of them often because I have easy access to healthcare facilities here.
I like to offer a few pieces of advice to you in this connection,
which might help you a little.
Treating Children
Children are the future of any nation. When we are moving towards
old age and resultant departure from this material world, children are the hope
of a nation. They grow into adults and turn as the proud human resources and beauty
of a land. So, offering service to children means building a nation indirectly.
You are playing that great role as a doctor. You must treat children in the
following way, whenever they come to your hospital:
1. Find out the accurate health problem of kids and prescribe highly
reliable medicines only to them. Ask if some of those children are averse to
taking injections. Then suggest alternative tablets, capsules or tonics, if
possible. Children are very sensitive. You should advise any medicine thinking
from their varied perspectives and status of sensitivities. The moment you love
children to this extent, their parents and relatives too feel very happy about
you. They are their valuable assets. You must treat them with love, care and
sympathy always.
2. Speed is the guiding force of this age. One has to do a lot of
things, utilizing limited time available to one. So, you should not waste the
time of any of your visitors and their children. You should test them as early
as possible, prescribe medicines early, treat them early and send them out
early. If you save their time, they feel happy. You should ask them specific
questions related to their children only and offer advice or treatment fast. If
you expect any of your visitors to wait for long, they develop a wrong
impression about you as a doctor and your hospital as a whole. Offer additional
advice to any of them only if they ask you out of their interest or curiosity.
If you offer advice proactively to somebody, when many are waiting for your
time outside, you are actually misusing your time and energy. Most of Indians
do not value anything if it is ‘free’.
3. Most of Indians are interested in spending their money for gold,
lands and such other assets only but not for their children. They spend and
borrow lakhs of rupees to buy gold or a house but never for the health of their
children unless it is a medical emergency. So, you must prescribe medicines and
treatments to their children considering them as hard-core misers. If an RMP
can cure the fever of a child with 100 rupees only in their native village,
they prefer him only always instead of a qualified and talented doctor out
there in their nearby town or city. They have no time, interest or money to
invest for the health of their children. This is why most of Indians are still
depending on RMPs in remote areas and villages. So, you must be able to keep
their medical and treatment expenses to the least possible. They must be able
to cure the health problems of their children with the lowest amount of
investment possible. However, educated and rich parents are an exception to
this. They spend much money for the health of their children. Before
prescribing medicines or treatments, you must consider the financial status and
psychological growth of their parents. Make them spend money accordingly.
4. Don’t tell them to go to any particular diagnostic centre for
tests. They think you have a business relation with them. Just tell them the
types of test reports you need. They get it done somewhere and come back to you
soon.
Professional Look
Whether we like it or not, how we look or talk with others certainly
does have an impact on our image as a person or professional. Some points to be
considered in this regard:
1. You must have a very professional look and outlook. You must look
as handsome and impressive as possible. Half of the health problems of children
and their parents must be cured just looking at or talking with you in your
room. The clothes you wear, the words you use to communicate with them
…everything must be with extraordinary standards. You should never sit or
behave casually before a visitor to your seat. Behave with them like an
influential and disciplined celebrity does. How you look and behave before them
in your room deeply impresses their attitude about you. Your manners must be so
impressive that they should come to you repeatedly. There should be dignity, empathy
and reliability in how you look and what you talk with them. Satisfy them
answering all their questions patiently, if you are somewhat free during that
time. They must feel that you are a world-class doctor after talking with you
for a few seconds. Share your extraordinary knowledge with them when talking with
them about their children. People get attracted towards those that have more
knowledge than those that have more money. Sharing that hidden knowledge with
others is also necessary.
2. Your chair, table and room must be of international standards. The
children and their parents should enjoy that ambience. It is not enough if a
God is great, the temple in which He is must also be amazing always.
Valuable Information
Most of us face a lot of problems in our lives and professions just
because we don’t have the right information about somebody or something when we
want it very badly. So, it is good to provide them with valuable information on
different aspects of health and preventive care related to children.
1. Make an attractive and quality pamphlet/booklet containing
information regarding the various vaccines to be administered to children at
various stages of their growth. Inform them the kind of care and precautions
they need to take to keep their children healthy and strong always. They feel
very happy and grateful to you if you can provide such information to them when
they come to your hospital. When you are collecting consultation fee,
prescribing medicines, advising medical tests and treatments…they feel you are
looting their money. They don’t think that they are doing so for the health and
happiness of their children. They feel grateful to you only when they get
something very valuable freely in your hospital. An information booklet is one
of such facilities you can provide to your visitors. It should have a classic
look and represent your high standards as a doctor.
2. You can think if you can offer anything of great value at
affordable prices in your hospital. They take it very happily. You must give
them a lot, expecting very little money only from them. They must feel that
they are getting a treasure from you, spending very little. Think what you can
do in this direction for them.
Timings
Everybody, seeking the services of a doctor, certainly expects
reliability of availability of him or her in the suggested clinic or hospital.
Consider the following points.
1. Specify the timings and days of your availability at the specified
hospital. You must collect consultation fee alike on any day. You should attend
emergencies at any point of time, on any day, if you are in town. You should
not look money-minded during emergencies expecting them to pay all the charges
or costs of surgeries immediately. Try to be as humane, ideal, sympathetic and
liberal as possible. Give them a little time to be ready financially to face
the situation. Rich ones can pay money in time but poor ones fail in this
regard. You should be kind towards them. If you save the health or life of a
child, with least possible investment of their time and money, they spread that
news to many within days. They do value our sense of standards and values. If
you are kind and generous towards them whenever possible, they treat you like
God and tell the same to anybody that consults them about such matters. Your
ultimate standards as a doctor are, in fact, your publicity material.
2. You should have your breakfast, lunch and supper based on your
timings of presence as a doctor at hospital. If you don’t follow timings
perfectly, your visitors develop a wrong impression about you. Imagine general
public talk about doctors, “Nobody knows when he/she comes or goes!” You should
not have such image.
Reception
Just like the value of a family or their house is assessed based on
how that homemaker or arrangement of goods looks, the value of a hospital or
doctor also is largely influenced by the look of reception and receptionists
present there. So, you should take ultimate care about these arrangements in
your hospital.
1. The receptionist should look very pleasing and kind to all
visitors and children that come to your hospital. They should look and feel healthy,
receptive, sympathetic, empathetic, sensitive and educated.
2. He/she should be able to communicate efficiently in Telugu,
English and Hindi over phone or face-to-face.
3. He/she should be able to use computer well and store all data
online and offline.
4. The ambience in reception should look very beautiful, standard and
impressive.
5. Receptionist should never use vulgar and offensive language
addressing anybody in the premises of hospital. Even if a drunkard is making
nonsense at her place, she/he should be able to speak something like ‘please
take that gentleman out peacefully and carefully’. Others may be indecent but
we should be able to be decent even towards them in testing conditions also.
Receptionist should have a lot of patience, kindness and decency.
6. Receptionist should have a lot of knowledge about medicines,
injections, vaccines, children, hospital and present trends in the medical
world. Receptionist is like a priest at a temple. If doctor is like God in a
hospital, a patient reaches that God through the medium of receptionist. How
she/he looks, talks and works does have a lot of influence on the image of the
doctor working there. She should be able to advise visitors on many aspects
related to health and preventive care related to children. Visitors ask him/her
various questions on how to take medicines and other things related to children.
She must be able to answer them intelligently, professionally and patiently.
So, it’s good if you can take one with extensive medical knowledge and
communicative skills for this position. She must update her knowledge regularly
about medical care and advancements in this field.
Hospital/Clinic
In Indian hospitals/clinics/nursing homes, what we find is
uncleanliness and disorder everywhere, even in corporate hospitals at times.
They throw rubbish somewhere and keep things in a disorderly manner. You must
take the following measures to keep your hospital very good as far as
sanitation and discipline are concerned.
1. Chairs meant for visitors and children must be very beautiful,
hygienic and orderly.
2. Silence must be maintained as much as possible throughout the
hospital except inevitable sounds of children.
3. Classical music might be played inside the hospital where visitors
and other staff move. All those that are coming to this hospital must feel a
divine sensation listening to that inspiring instrumental music. Music has
power of healing. If the music being played in your hospital heals and soothes
the psyches of those creatures for a few moments at least, they remember that
ambience for long, even after going out of your hospital. The memories of the
staff and ambience in your hospital should chase them, wherever they are. Think
how you can make your hospital heavenly from this perspective. Everybody likes
to be entertained and respected by others. Why should not you think on how to
please all your visitors differently in your hospital?
4. Hygienic drinking water, toilets and medical store facilities earn
a lot of reputation for any hospital. Ensure that you maintain them to the
highest degree of perfection and order. Your visitors, patients and children
might be innocent and ignorant creatures of God. You are a qualified, talented
and intelligent doctor. If you add kindness and idealism also to these traits
of you, you can win the hearts of Indians fast. Do the best possible to make
them feel happy, satisfied and honoured in your hospital and in your presence. They
should feel that they are in a world-class hospital as long as they are in your
abode of healing. Even the doctors in your facility should have such high
standards and values as professionals. You should guide them in that perfect
path always.
Ownership of
Hospital
Others do not think and act like you when you delegate the
responsibility of your hospital to them because they did not invest their money
in it. They work like selfish business partners only but not as an owner of
that entity. So, it is better if you own and run this hospital. It’s your unit.
Make it beautiful and dependable for all those that come to and talk about it.
You must spend considerable time, money and thoughts on improving its
standards.
UK/India
Since you served in the UK once, you need to decide whether to stay
back in India or to move to that place again. The following points help you in
taking a good decision in this regard.
1. Service to humanity is service to God. In Tuni and Payakaraopeta,
there is more need of doctors like you than in that country. If ultimate
service to children is your motto, you must stay back in India. It takes time
to earn reputation for yourself and your hospital. You must wait and acquire
that status slowly.
2. When you think that comfort in life and earning in an easy manner
are your goals, the UK would be the best option. You need not struggle much to
do anything differently there. It is enough if you deliver your services as any
doctor does there. But, after 10 years, if you question yourself about what you
did for others substantially, the answer would be disappointing. You appear as
a commercially oriented doctor if you work in the UK. If you work in India,
despite problems and stress in educating and serving Indians slowly, you feel
satisfied in future also because your services are highly needed here. Your
stay in India has a noble purpose unlike in the UK.
Publicity
You can/should promote awareness about the uniqueness of your
hospital until it earns a reputation of its own through word-of-mouth of your
satisfied service recipients. You can consider the following:
1. Print and distribution of pamphlets through
paperboys specifying the attractions of your hospital.
2. Local radio and television media.
3. Ads in newspapers occasionally.
4. A classic website showing what you do and
kinds of services/facilities available in your hospital.
Conclusion
Your hospital might be a successful venture if you meet the
following requirements.
1. You offer extraordinary services to all of
your service seekers through your hospital.
2. Your hospital and the doctors working there are
of high standards and values.
3. You have patience, hard-working nature and
vision in developing your hospital.
4. You treat all with due respect, professional
outlook, sympathetic attitude and affection.
5. Service is your primary goal and profits and
commercial success are your secondary goals.
6. You are ready to serve others, at any point
of time, on any day, if you are in town.
7. You educate parents and children that come to
you, out of your kindness for them.
8. You like your profession and offer the best
as a doctor, not minding the status of your service seekers.
9. Other doctors and hospitals in this region
must find you and your hospital unique in many ways.
10. You regularly collect feedback from your
service seekers and improve your standards accordingly.
11. There are considerable facilities in your
hospital to meet emergency cases also, which cannot be handled in other
clinics/hospitals in Tuni or Payakaraopeta.
12. You are able to attract educated and rich
service seekers also letting them know that you and your hospital are different
from those available here.
13. Visiting your hospital and talking with the
doctors there is a divine experience to visitors.
Hope these points of discussion help you a
little in understanding Indians and the kind of service you need to offer them
in course of time to win their love and respect.
Sincerely,
Datla Chiranjeevi Raju.
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