Men's health frequently takes a backseat to women's health in terms of prevention and early detection. Men, on average, devote less time & attention to their health & wellness than women. Early detection and preventative interventions are critical in today's environment of expanding men's health issues & deterioration of wellness. By focusing on preventive medicine, wellness & discovering individuals with issues as soon as feasible & early detection often increases the likelihood of successful outcomes.
Dr. Lalitha Palle, Founder & Director, MyPuraVida Wellness, ‘ForMen’ to assist men in living the most optimal & healthy life. Leveraging almost three decades of experience in the healthcare sector, Dr. Lalitha Palle, Founder & Director, of the brand ForMen has established MyPuraVida Wellness to aid men in living a healthy & happy life.
In an exclusive conversation with Women Entrepreneur India Magazine. Dr. Lalitha walks us through her exemplary journey in the preventive and holistic healthcare industry.
Walks us through your educational and professional journey.
I started off as an MBBS graduate of Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medicine and Research, (JIPMER) Puducherry. After that, I completed my MD in Radiology and went on to do my FICR and DNB. I also have pursued a Healthcare Management degree from ISB (Indian School of Business) & participated in an entrepreneurship programme at IIM, Bangalore. My medical career began with working in radiology, where I had the opportunity to personally engage with patients and employ various diagnostic procedures for about ten years. Following that, I transitioned into teaching and have held numerous conferences and training programs for both MBBS and radiology students. Then I shifted to a management role where I became the Vice President of the Yashoda Group of Hospitals. In addition, I was the Vice President of the Indian Radiology and Imaging Association, which represents over 20,000 radiologists in the country. I also served as the Vice President for the Telangana chapter of the Association of Telemedicine of India. I have delivered more than 500 lectures in India & abroad, in addition to having more than 30 scientific publications in various National & International journals. All of this provided me with valuable expertise, experience, and insight into the country's healthcare system.
What inspired you to pursue a preventive healthcare and wellness career?
Preventive health and wellness are areas that have always fascinated me. Throughout my years of experience in the medical field, I have come across several patients who have suffered from chronic illnesses that could have been prevented if they had made lifestyle changes earlier in their lives.
I believe that prevention is key to a healthier society. By preventing diseases and illnesses, we can not only improve the overall health of individuals but also reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Preventive health strategies can include regular check-ups, early disease detection, and lifestyle changes such as exercise and a healthy diet. By promoting preventive health, we can empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being, which can lead to a better quality of life.
After almost 25 years of working in hospitals and being in constant contact with patients, I realized that there is a lot more I can do than limit myself to a specific institution or geographic place. My colleagues and I collaborated to bring to the masses best-in-class preventive healthcare products and services with the establishment of the brand ForMen under the banner of MyPuraVida Wellness. It was founded to meet the health and wellness needs of men and women, particularly men because we discovered that men are far more hesitant than women to approach hospitals, seek healthcare guidance, or share their problems. And if this remains unnoticed, it will become a huge public health issue in the coming years. Understanding this, we decided to focus on men’s health issues, and also cater to the wellness needs of the general population. Our focus has been shifted from treating sickness to preventing sickness; thus, bringing a lot of relief to the community.
How does your medical expertise and experience help you as an entrepreneur?
As doctors with considerable experience, having dealt with thousands of patients, we understand the problems that they face and how to prevent and solve them. We are adept in comprehending body mechanisms, such as what type of an ingredient with what bioavailability and what percentage of bio-actives should be consumed at what dosages. We thoroughly understand the biological effectiveness, absorption methods, and optimal dosage, whether it is a tablet, capsule, syrup, or injectable. Armed with this knowledge, it was remarkably easy for us to create effective formulations that are easily absorbed and can be made as economical and safe as possible for the population. Also being doctors, qualities like patient centricity, efficient time management, best utilization of limited resources, quick decision making, focus on quality & safety, and speed of execution which are almost second nature to us, have definitely helped in the entrepreneurial journey.
How do you foresee women entrepreneurs rising from the radiology & medical fraternity?
It is necessary that women get into entrepreneurial roles as they are expert multitaskers and have a knack for attention to detail that can assist address larger ones. So, I truly believe that women are very well equipped to take on entrepreneurial positions, particularly in medicine & radiology, where there is a great need for more healthcare & diagnostic centers and imaging procedures with qualified personnel. Another area where I envision entrepreneurs in radiology is in collaborating with IT professionals to help develop newer & innovative software solutions that will aid us in telemedicine and teleradiology. There is also room for a lot of artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches to be implemented. There are also lots of opportunities in the implementation of new business models such as second opinion services. Those kinds of online services in the field of radiology also have a lot of potential.
Furthermore, there is never a shortage of people who want to learn from online programs. As a result, training and teaching online programs have enormous potential for effective new business models.
For young & first-generation entrepreneurs, mentoring and networking are also vital. You ought to connect with others who have already worked in this sector to learn about the hurdles and better prepare yourself. Of course, funding is another critical factor for entrepreneurs. I believe that providing a lot of assistance and connecting them with people who are interested in investing in the business of healthcare will definitely help the younger women entrepreneurs.
Any new development at ForMen that you would like to talk about?
We are developing an online digital clinic in which a client does not even need to provide his personal information. We do not require their phone numbers or email addresses. They can simply connect us to the website's digital clinic and discuss their issues. We will address anything that can be addressed in the digital clinic via chat. Expert consultation & guidance will be provided in a discreet, non-judgmental & safe space. Product innovation is also happening alongside & new launches will be announced very soon.
