A Prescription for Progress

BY AIDEN JEWELLE GONZALES

While it’s been said before, to this day, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the worldwide zeitgeist on healthcare, waking
people up to the importance of every aspect of wellness: from maintaining a good lifestyle to finding the right hospital, the
right doctors and specialists, the right insurance, and more.  While I was only an observer in this cultural shift, swept
along by the tides of change, Ruchita Modi, the Manager,  Corporate & Expatriate BD at Bumrungrad International Hospital, is someone who was in the driver’s seat during this evolution, having worked in healthcare management for over a decade.

“It’s true that the face of healthcare is changing every day,” she acknowledges when I meet her at Bumrungrad International
Hospital’s luxe napa lounge, designed to put visitors at ease. “Patients from around the world are now looking for  the most experienced doctors, the best service possible,  and a full, patient-centric journey; and they’re willing to travel for it to Thailand, and especially to Bumrungrad International Hospital.”

Having moved to Bangkok six years ago, Ruchita is someone who, she tells me with a rueful chuckle, “had a hardcore healthcare background,” with a Bachelor of Pharmacy, and a Master’s in Hospital Administration at the prestigious Tata Institute of Social Sciences. After this, she held various management roles in healthcare institutions across India, and was even a mental health coach during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was a surprising but rewarding point in my career,” she recalls of the latter. “I took care of two aspects: workshops on self-awareness, and conducting grief support groups to help others navigate through the death of loved ones during that difficult time.” It’s clear that every aspect of wellness holds great importance for Ruchita, and she talks me through the ways that healthcare needs to evolve to meet patient needs, and gives me further insights from her years in the industry.

You’ve mentioned your strong healthcare background, and you’ve held leadership roles in healthcare operations across different regions. What initially drew you to the healthcare sector, and how has your career evolved over the years?

Initially, I wanted to become an architect but I think my dad wasn’t very happy with the idea! [Laughs] So I took up pharmacy; I had a keen interest in chemistry and I was a very research-oriented kid from day one. I enjoyed it, but I realised that I didn’t want to just be in a lab. I’d come across a book on hospital and healthcare administration in the library one day, and realised this could be my niche. The course was the brainchild of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and I luckily got accepted into the university, where I had the opportunity do a lot of internships in renowned hospitals such as Fortis Healthcare, which in turn gave me an understanding of the different aspects of healthcare.

Afterwards, I was looking for a greenfield project, and there was one in Bangalore to establish a cancer hospital from the ground up, which piqued my interest. I spent two years working for Cytecare Hospitals Bangalore, and we started from a team of five which grew into 250 personnel by the time I left. The learnings from that period, when I was involved in every aspect of the hospital, was what grew my base knowledge. Afterwards, I went into home healthcare, which is huge in India and is growing in Thailand – it provides additional medical support at home for patients, including procedures
such as blood tests or even at-home patient care. During my tenure as the region head for Mumbai of Nightingale Home Health Care, I gained experience in the business side of the industry on top of my experience in the operations side.

When my husband and I moved to Bangkok, I joined Vaidam, who are in the medical-value travel field, and I had the opportunity to work with a network of over 10-15 major clinics and hospitals in the Kingdom. However, prior to coming to Bangkok, I’d always wanted to work at Bumrungrad International Hospital, which at one point was the only hospital I’d heard of in Thailand – I’d even studied it back in India! So when I got an opportunity to work here, it was a dream come true.

At Bumrungrad International Hospital, you manage expatriate business development. Can you share what this role entails and how you ensure world-class healthcare for international patients?

Established 44 years ago, Bumrungrad International Hospital has a longstanding legacy that continues to this day. Part of that is the growing expat community that comes here; a community that we want to build a relationship with in order to gain their trust, and to know exactly how we can support them further. Personally, I work on a large scale with expats, and for obvious reasons, one of my focuses is Indian communities. We work very closely with the local and expat Indian communities, with publications like Masala, and with the Embassy of India in Bangkok.

The second part of my job is working closely with companies who want to take care of their employees’ healthcare, and we
ensure that we provide them with the quality we’re known for, and ease of access to our doctors and services.

Having worked as an Operations Manager at Vaidam and in other healthcare organisations, what are the key challenges in managing healthcare systems, and how do you prioritise patient experience while ensuring the efficiency of operations?

The moment someone decides to visit the hospital, their healthcare journey has started, so we need to ensure we’re accessible to them and understand their requirements. The patient has to be at the centre of the entire journey from beginning to end.

There are numerous challenges we face – for example, there are so many new diseases being discovered daily, and patients now have access to a wealth of information, much of which isn’t always helpful or accurate. We always encourage patients to trust their doctors, as at the end of the day, the medical choices are down to the doctor’s experience and understanding. Another challenge that we’ve addressed very well is catering to the needs of patients from different cultures. We’ve had patients from over 190 countries visit us, and understanding their unique culture and needs – such as the food they require, or how they interact with their doctors – is very important.

With experience across India and Thailand, how do you see international healthcare systems evolving, and what role do you see Bumrungrad International Hospital playing in that evolution?

While healthcare is always evolving, what’s great is that we as a hospital have always looked to the future to predict patient needs. During a time where people preferred going to Western countries for treatment, the hospital was one of the first to start medical-value travel to this part of the world. We’ve also forecasted the importance of healthcare systems to be more about all-around wellness, and we’ve pioneered a lot of new systems to replace ones that weren’t working anymore.

Another critical aspect of healthcare evolution is the service aspect and gaining understanding of your patient. This is something we take great pride in; we have an array of systems to ensure that our patients are taken care of. More importantly, we believe in quality. If there is any accreditation from a healthcare point of view, we’re usually the first one in Thailand or Southeast Asia to gain it. The advancement of technology and innovation is very important to remain a strong player in this field; side by side with experienced doctors, in whom we also continuously invest. For example, genomics is now gaining traction, which helps with both diagnostics and preventative care – cancer and heart disease screenings, and more – and this allows people to proactively screen for any genetic diseases they and their family may have. Your genes don’t change, and soon, I believe this will be everyone’s medical ID. Digital transformation is also huge now, not just by going paperless, which we’re doing, but in integrating AI in diagnostics and treatment.

Finally, do you have any advice to those hoping to make an impact in the local and international healthcare arena, and how they can balance working in such a rigorous field with a healthy personal and family life? What do you do that helps you in that balance?

I’d say, just go for it – there’s a lot of scope in this space and so many opportunities which are yet unexplored. Be ready to explore and be ready to learn and unlearn. Keeping a balanced life is very important; the more balanced your life is, the better you’ll do. Explore, network, learn, and keep reading. Personally, I love reading – both fiction and self-help and informational books; learning is very important to me. I also love travelling. You have to remember that it’s important to keep that balance even in the little things. For example, eat clean meals, but a few cheat days is ok! Overall, compartmentalise your life – personal, professional, and ‘me’ time, and you’ll see the difference.