August 12, Kathmandu.
Dr. Amit Tomar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nepal Medicity Hospital, has stated that collaboration among hospitals is necessary to develop Nepal as a medical hub.
In an interview with ICT Frame Magazine, Dr. Tomar stated that the pace of healthcare expansion in Nepal is rapid and as the influx of new technology has increased, there is great potential in the health sector.
‘Currently, the pace of healthcare expansion in Nepal is rapidly increasing. In recent years, new hospitals have opened and new technologies are being introduced into healthcare every day. Therefore, in the coming time, there is huge potential here for healthcare management students,’ he said.
He stated that to succeed in hospital management, special attention should be paid to communication, patient safety, and the quality of healthcare services. With the development of AI, he added that the need for new management systems and technology in the health sector is also increasing.
‘The key to success in management is communication. Communication with partners, patients, and external stakeholders in healthcare is extremely important,’ he said.
Regarding the use of AI, he said that students and managers in the health sector should become technology-friendly.
‘With the advent of AI, this field has become very vast. What works today might not work tomorrow. Therefore, they should be updated about AI and learn how to operate AI systems. Ultimately, that is the future,’ he said.
Emphasizing that every decision in the hospital should be patient-centric, he said that patient experience and treatment outcomes should be prioritized.
Stating that systems and processes play a crucial role in hospital operations, he said that individuals at the management level should understand them well. He believes that involving more people in the decision-making process can lead to effective decisions.
He said that Nepal Medicity prioritizes patient safety and the quality of healthcare services. He informed that the hospital has a separate quality and patient safety department and regular audits of various systems and processes are conducted.
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‘We are providing regular training and conducting regular audits. We are the first hospital in Nepal to have a separate quality and patient safety department. It audits various processes and systems within the organization and evaluates whether people are following the systems and processes,’ he said.
For patient safety, he said special attention is given to infection control, safe surgery, and medication safety. He added that a safe surgical checklist is used during surgeries to minimize human error.
He stated that there are some challenges in introducing health technology in Nepal. He added that some technologies readily available in neighboring countries including India take time to bring to Nepal, and since most equipment has to be imported, the cost increases.
He informed that the hospital has been assisting economically disadvantaged patients with treatment and free health camps are being conducted in rural areas.
He said, ‘If a patient is unable to cover the expenses at any time, we take care of that patient. We are conducting health check-up camps in many rural areas. These are free.’ He also mentioned that health consultations are being provided to Nepalis abroad through telemedicine services.
‘We are among the first hospitals in Nepal to introduce telemedicine technology. We regularly provide telemedicine consultations to Nepalis residing abroad, especially those seeking a second opinion,’ he said. He also informed that Nepal Medicity is preparing to start robotic surgery services.
‘We are in the process of bringing robots. It will start soon and you will soon see robotic surgery services at Nepal Medicity,’ he said.
He emphasized the need to utilize skilled human resources along with technology to make Nepal a medical hub. He believes that if an environment can be created to bring back Nepali doctors and nurses residing abroad and provide services, Nepal can make great strides.
He said, ‘If we can introduce new technology and bring our people back from abroad to provide healthcare services in Nepal, then no one can stop Nepal from becoming a major medical hub.’
Stating that the efforts of a single hospital will not be enough to make Nepal a medical hub, he urged all hospital managers and CEOs for collaboration.
For More: Nepal Medical Hub Hospital Collaboration
