Quality healthcare and healthcare institutions with super speciality facilities is always a key requirement for any society; more so after the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Any hospital's quality is often gauged on the basis of facilities, technology and the equipment provided by the management. And without good management and administration, achieving choicest health facilities and equipment is near impossible. Dr. Richa Mishra, Director of Shekhar Hospital, a well-known hospital in Lucknow, is one such woman administrator whose first priority is to provide the best treatment at affordable cost under one roof to all her patients.

Leading the only NABH, NABL AND ISO 9001-2008 accredited hospital in Lucknow, Dr. Richa come armed with an MHA, MBA and PhD in management with specialization of healthcare. A member and patron of Lucknow Management Association, Dr. Richa is acknowledged for her expertise and administrative skills for launching one of the best hospitals in Lucknow with 40 specialties throughout her 25 years of experience.

In an in-depth interview with the Women Entrepreneur Magazine team, Dr. Richa shares with us her thoughts on leadership, and professional experience as a medical director and administrator in the Indian healthcare industry.

Introduce Us To Shekhar Hospital And Some Of Its Key Features?

Shekhar hospital which was founded 35 years ago is a leading multi-specialty hospital in Lucknow is known for equipped with 40 specialties including neuro surgery, orthopeadic surgery, gynecology, cardiology, ctvs surgery, ENT, respiratory medicine, psychiatry 24X7 operating pharmacy, blood bank and kidney transplantation among others. The hospital is equipped with ICUs like pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU, and surgical ICU. This is a tertiary care and multi-specialty hospital where we get patients through referrals from outskirts of Uttar Pradesh.

The hospital is recognized by ISO, affiliated by NABH and has an NABL accredited lab as well. Equipped with best diagnostic services such as CT, MRI, ECO, TMT, ERCP, Catheter laboratory, we strive to provide the finest treatment to all our patients.

Take us through your early education journey and prior industry experience before coming on board Shekhar Hospital as the Director? Being a daughter of defence presonel I got opputunity to visit so many places and see so may hospitals. Because of his profession I had the opportunity to study and live in different places such as Tamil Nadu, Bangalore, Chandigarh and more. I have also spent time in high risk areas. Ever since I was younger, I was fascinated by visiting hospitals and felt included towards medical professionals.

I had special interest towards administrative job. Therefore, I pursued an MBA and PhD in management with specialization of healthcare. Before joining Shekhar hospital, I have worked in Lifeline Hospital in Nasik and Chiranjiv Hospital in Allahabad as a administrator. I have visited so many hospitals all over world to get experience of working proceedures.

Tell Us About Your Expertise As A Leader In The Healthcare Industry. What Different Roles And Responsibilities Does Your Current Role As Director Entail At Shekhar Hospital?

Early on when I joined Shekhar Hospital, it was a small clinic started by my husband. But my vision was to develop it as one of the best hospitals and medical College. We gradually introduced private rooms, general wards and ICUs. I also tried to start a medical college because of scarcity of medical professions. Now, we have two Medical Colleges, Ayurvedic college, Nursing college and more, where I am the chairperson.

Talking about my roles and responsibilities, I have always worked towards the welfare of my city. I have introduced many facilities such as nursing colleges, paramedical courses, kidney transplantation and more, which was a necessity for the city. I am a more resourceful person in terms of planning and management rather than doing in routine work. Personally, I care about my team and their well-being at the work place as well in their life beyond work.

How do you manage to strike a balance between your work and home life? What are some activities or hobbies that you like to indulge in when not working?

Balancing professional and personal life is a bigger challenge for woman. Simultaneously, women are also at an advantage because they are more emotion-al yet practical. I perfectly balance my personal and professional life with my family's support.

I enjoy listen to soft music and travelling. When-ever I get time, I travel often. I visit different countries to get an insight on their healthcare industry. So far I have visited about 56 countries to see the infrastructure, management and planning of the hospitals in order to get more ideas about my work.

“Talking about my roles and responsibilities, i have always worked to-wards the welfare of my city”

I have a keen interest in online courses and online meetings. I also keep in touch with the current affairs within healthcare industry. I am a member and patron of Lucknow Management Association and All India management assosciation that publishes journals periodically that I have subscribed to.

In your opinion what is lacking in the Indian healthcare system currently and how can the situation be improved?

India allots a considerably lower amount of GDP for the healthcare industry. We are far behind in terms of healthcare infrastructure according to population comparing to other countries. Covid-19 epidemic has also showcased how far behind we have been left when it comes to sound healthcare systems.

Currently, our primary challenge is to maintain manpower. The Indian government along with healthcare providers like us are rising up to the occasion by opening more medical and nursing colleges so that more healthcare professionals can be trained. Currently India has about 400 medical colleges and more are in the pipeline. I am positive that we will be ready to handle all kinds of epidemic with best facilities in coming future. Our country is progressing and we are doing the best from our end.

As a leader in healthcare industry, what do you see lacking in women community to become successful leaders in any industry? What would your advice be to young women?

Women are more hesitant to speak up about their career ambitions. Contrasting to men, women are more hesitant to join in the professional world, but their potential and abilities are undeniable because they showcase professional and personal leadership skills.

I believe that if women are educated, then the whole family will be educated. A woman should come forward to see the business world & management and they will manage it better. The reason is that they are emotionally and practically strong and can manage both personal and professional life. As advice, I would say that women should explore the world to hone their personalities.

Dr. Richa Mishra, Medical Director, Shekhar Hospital

Dr. Richa come armed with an MHA, MBA and PhD in management with specialization of healthcare. A member and patron of Lucknow Management Association, she is acknowledged for her expertise and administrative skills for launching one of the best hospitals in Lucknow with 40 specialties.