Many dream of becoming healthcare practitioner but it is only passionate and dedicated professionals who ultimately achieve their goal. One such name is Dr. Manju Sinha. She dreamt of studying medicine since childhood and didn’t leave it to fate. Her hard work, passion and dedication have helped her achieve much more than she had dreamt of. Currently she is not only an ace Anesthesiologist but has also co-founded Womens Hospital which is the world’s first 3D Laparoscopy Hospital along with her husband Dr Rakesh Sinha. The duo were seton a mission to provide at par technical advances in laparoscopic surgery and quality gynecological and obstetric healthcare services to women in a pleasant and serene ambience. A testament to the success of the founders and the organization is the fact that Womens Hospital has achieved two Guinness World Records, one for the Largest Uterus Removed, and second for the Heaviest Fibroid Removed, both laparoscopically.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Team, Dr. Manju Sinha shares her inspiring success story of being a pioneer in setting up of a unit for advanced laparoscopy techniques in India.

Take Us Through Your Early Educational Journey That Led You Towards Healthcare.
Since my early childhood I was keen to pursue medicine and received remarkable support from my family. I worked diligently for the school exit exams and joined the prestigious Jai Hind College. I secured a board rank in the entry qualifying exams for medicine, ensuring the coveted seat in the Seth G S Medical College affiliated to KEM Hospital. Medical Education is not for the weak hearted and early years of working in KEM definitely toughens you up .It is amazing the remarkable amount of good work which gets done in spite of the enormous workload.

How Did You Set Up And Grow India’s Pioneering Laparoscopy Hospital?
Laparoscopy in India was restricted to only diagnosis while western countries were performing surgical procedures with advanced equipment. My husband and I started our second innings of skill enhancement in advanced laparoscopy for which we left for UK where I joined Southampton General Hospital and Rakesh joined Royal Free Hospital in London.

“Our Entire Team Of Skilled Surgeons, Competent Anesthesiologists And Diligent Nursing Teams Work Towards A Common Goal And Our Motto Of “Patient First” Remains Our Guiding Credo”

It was our experience in the UK which made us realize that we need to create a specialized dedicated unit for advanced laparoscopy techniques in India. Rakesh was a visionary and wanted to share the knowledge, so besides starting the Centre at Mumbai, we also started training programs and fellowships. Earlier, there was resistance to the use of Laparoscopy but soon the demand increased because of its advantages over conventional open surgery. As awareness grew we kept growing our surgical team and added sophisticated equipment. Our entire team of skilled Surgeons, competent Anesthesiologists and diligent Nursing teams work towards a common goal and our motto of “Patient First” remains our guiding credo.

Tell Us About Your Expertise As An Anesthesiologist. What Are Some Of The Major Work Areas In The Said Field?
Laryngeal Mask Airway is a novel airway device which was introduced to the practice of an aesthesia in 1989 and working in the UK in early 1900s familiarized me with its use. Back in Mumbai I started using them effectively for Laparoscopic and Hysteroscopic Surgeries. The regular use of Epidural analgesia safely for pain relief during childbirth and the pain relief protocols after caesarian delivery gives our obstetric patients a remarkable birth experience. My experience as the Obstetric Simulation Trainer helped to formalize the hospital obstetric emergency management protocols.

What Steps Did You Undertake To Combat The Challenges Brought About By Covid-19 Crisis?
The Pandemic created paranoia not only amongst the patients but also the healthcare workers. As a provider for obstetric care, we were committed to our pregnant patients and ensured their safety by keeping our workforce safe. Accordingly we altered the disinfection protocols, added PPE gear and testing and also created safe bubble for our patients. Early safe discharge, separating consultation, ultrasound and pathology spaces enabled distancing and telephonic consultation were encouraged. Staff was picked and dropped by hospital vehicles and a duty manager was appointed to get everyday updates about staff health and their duty hours were made flexible.

What Are Some Facets Of Your Personality That Have Helped You In Leading Womens Hospital From A Founder’s Perspective?
Founding a firm is like bringing up a child, both need time, effort and sacrifice and should be nurtured to the best of your capability. Leading a firm requires you to have a mindset that is willing to take expert help when required, the humility to apologize and take responsibility when things go wrong and the strength of character to give credit to the team when things go right.

Calmness in the face of crisis and my belief in the goodness of humankind are my strengths. Keeping abreast with medical advances and periodic evolutions in healthcare is always challenging. Managing Healthcare Delivery course (2011-2012) at Harvard Business School, USenhanced my management skills. The experience at HBS reiterated our practice of price transparency, also cemented the need of focus, building strong teams, incorporating budgeting practices and also helped us incorporate the safety culture.

What Would Your Advice Be To Young Women Aspiring To Foray Into Healthcare?
Healthcare has to be taken up as a profession only if you are passionate about care. I would sincerely urge young women to pursue their field of interest and specialize. “Be satisfied in what you have, but never be satisfied in what you can become”. Being proficient in medical knowledge and skills forms the entry level in your journey in healthcare, you need to build on this with communication skills, ethics, team spirit, financial knowledge, managerial skills, flexibility and discipline. Seeking mentors and mirroring them allows you to fast rack your path. Good quality work is always appreciated, you never have to prove yourself, quality and good sense of purpose speaks for itself.