Dr Manisha Karmarkar, CEO, DPU Super Specialty Hospital in Pimpri, Pune, in an exclusive interaction with ETHealthworld’s Prathiba Raju, discussed the immense potential of cities like Pune and Pimpri, along with other smaller cities, as prime spots for the development of healthcare infrastructure. Also highlighted how cities like Pune are crucial in shaping India’s healthcare ecosystem, they face several obstacles. Key challenges include connectivity issues, a shortage of skilled manpower at the local level, infrastructural hurdles, and other logistical problems that hinder the sector’s growth.How hospitals in tier 1 cities (Pune) and tier 3 cities (Pimpri-Chinchwad) are witnessing a transformation be it driven by infrastructure development, government policies, private sector involvement, and technological innovations?
Healthcare as a sector has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years. Since 2016, the Indian healthcare industry has been on an upward trajectory, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 22 per cent. As per estimates, the hospital market in India is expected to cross USD 193 billion by 2032. Among other micro-markets, Pune as a city has been one of the most sought-after markets in Maharashtra and the country at large. As per a recent finding, the city houses over 350 hospitals which includes some of the major multi-specialty and super-specialty institutions. The medical landscape of Pune and Pimpri has evolved tremendously in the last decade, with a strong emphasis on developing a world-class healthcare infrastructure led by advanced technology. Pune has been acknowledged as a city that is way ahead of its terms when it comes to medical tourism owing to its state-of-the-art facilities. This micro-market including Pimpri and Pune is known to offer high-end medical treatments with global quality standards, and at a fraction of the cost as compared to the global western counterparts, which acts as a major attraction point for patients across international borders including Africa, Middle East, and South Asia. In another statistical find, Pune has emerged as one of the leading cities for organ donation in the state and country at large with a total count of 58 cadaver donations during 2023. Apart from this, the city is home to a medical ecosystem that highlights cutting-edge technology and robust healthcare expertise acting as key growth propellers driving the positioning of Pune as a national and global hub for healthcare and medical tourism.
Can you tell us from an ROI (Return on Investment) perspective, how tier 1 and tier 3 cities present lucrative markets for healthcare? What are the advantages due and the key reasons to invest in healthcare in these cities?
Cities like Pune and Pimpri and even other smaller cities are gold spots for the development of healthcare infrastructure. The healthcare sector of India is undergoing a massive facelift owing to multiple initiatives by the central government. As a result, there is a need-state generated for the expansion of the sector to address the ever-growing demand for a robust healthcare ecosystem. To address this, cities like Pune offer the advantage of space availability at comparatively lower costs than the adjoining metros, enabling liquidity for working capital.
Hospitals are utilising this opportunity to explore the untapped potential and gain the first mover advantage. Along with this, it also helps bridge the disparities when it comes to addressing the diverse medical needs of the locals as the majority of the patients visit the nearby metros for treatment, with some of them not being able to make it. Hence, this move to develop the healthcare fabric of smaller cities is a life-saving move. In turn, this also helps strengthen the economy of that micro-market by attracting patients from other cities and states, thus making healthcare institutions act as an indirect economy booster of the region.
While there are significant opportunities in tier 3 cities for healthcare investments, what are the challenges the potential investors must carefully consider and address these challenges viz — economic instability, maintenance of equipment and digital divide?
While cities like Pune are writing the growth story of India’s healthcare ecosystem, there are certain obstacles blocking the way. Right from issues pertaining to connectivity to lack of skilled manpower at the local level, infrastructural challenges and other logistic issues are some of the major challenges faced by the sector.
Having said that, the government and concerned associated bodies are working in full stride to address these issues and we are already witnessing a transformation. With the widespread digitalisation, construction of new highways and electricity reaching the far-ends of the smaller towns and cities, the challenges are in fact soon going to be a thing of the past.
How does your organisation prioritise and select new technologies for implementation in your hospitals? What is your long-term vision for the integration of technology in healthcare delivery? Can you discuss any recent technological advancements your hospitals have adopted and the rationale behind these decisions?
Technology has become indispensable to our ecosystem and hence our focus solely remains on the integration of technology into healthcare. We have always been at the forefront of medical advances and breakthroughs, which acts as a stellar testament to our “patient-first” philosophy.
We recently launched an exclusive valve-speciality clinic. The clinic is dedicated to patients seeking counselling and treatment pertaining to valve replacement using the revolutionary TAVI procedure.Being the first hospital in Pune to have the 4th Generation Advanced Robotic System – Da Vinci Xi robot with Dual Operating Consoles. This results in significant patient-centric outcomes, enhancing the overall well-being of our patients.
Going ahead, we are focused on enabling an AI based services system including the introduction of an electronic medical record and start tele-medicine process to help patients staying at distant locations.
How do you decide which specialties to focus on and invest in? What factors influence these decisions?
Rather to going by the trend, we do our own environment study to understand what are the various globally renowned healthcare systems and treatments available that can work towards saving lives. Our decisions are based on the need-state that will strengthen the healthcare landscape of our city and state at large.
What kind of changing priorities do you think is necessary in women’s health today? How will more participation of women leaders in healthcare benefit the segment? What are the initiatives you have implemented in the hospital to support gender diversity?
A major threat to lingering on women’s health in current times is the risk of cervical cancer. There is an urgent to facilitate a vaccination drive against this lethal disease at a national level, especially in the rural parts of the country. The government is taking responsible actions in promoting vaccinations against cervical cancer and promoting pap-smear tests and vaccinations.
The increased participation of women in leadership roles across the healthcare sector must be encouraged and revered as women naturally bring a balanced sense of emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills, two attributes that are much required in this sector.
We promote equal opportunities for growth and development among our hospital staff and hire solely based on merit and pro
