Covid-19 exposed the chinks in the armour of the health care systems across the globe, and it did not spare India. The pandemic unravelled the picture-perfect front of a healthcare system that seemed to flourish on paper, exposing the struggling system underneath. Fissured, struggling and collapsing were the main adjectives used when referring to the overburdened healthcare system as the second Covid-19 wave overwhelmed the country. Access to healthcare has always been a significant issue for.
In addition to doctors and nurses, trained healthcare management professionals are the need of the hour. Even remote areas that had sufficient access to healthcare centres suffered from poor management. As of 2017-2018, India spent only 1.28% of its GDP on healthcare facilities. Hence, India only had 0.55 beds for every 1000 people, even before the pandemic. Evidently, the management of resources within the healthcare system is a necessity.
Skillsets Needs for Healthcare Management Roles
Professionals skilled in healthcare management are necessary to ensure the smooth running of a healthcare facilities. Even a routine check-up requires careful management; hence, it comes as no surprise that there is a growing need to invest in healthcare management professionals. Management skills in the healthcare industry are quite different to running a business.
In addition to these, they need to possess soft skills including effective communication, collaboration and teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking that will allow them to smoothly sail through any snags that arise in the process. To ensure sufficient cohesion between doctors, nurses, and support staff to minimise medical errors, healthcare management professionals need to build strong relationships and act as the thread that ties everyone together.
Executive Education to Address Skill Gaps
The lack of enough specialised management programmes in India for working professionals in the healthcare sector is alarming, especially considering what the country had to go through during the pandemic. The Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta aims to address the existing problem through their Post Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management.
