Diversifying Into Healthcare
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Corporate Social Responsibility OR someone who has been involved with social issues, moving to healthcare is a natural progression. Tina Ambani, former Factor, an art connoisseur and collector, DIVERSIFYING who has been organising the Harmony art shows for the past 10 years, is now fully involved in building up the multi- INTO million-dollar Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute, located in Mumbai’s north-western suburb of Andheri. HEALTHCARE “If you want to do something and contribute to society and serve the community you live in, you have to think Tina Anil Ambani, large”, explains Tina, whose husband spearheading the Anil Anil Ambani, is the chairman of the multi-billion-dollar Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG). “We are a huge country with a big population, and if you wish to Group’s corporate social contribute significantly to society you have to take up a large and ambitious responsibility portfolio, project. My team has worked hard and we have put our hearts and passion into has ventured into the project”. The Kokilaben hospital — named healthcare by setting up after her mother-in-law and the widow a multi-million-dollar, of Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of the Reliance Group — is a 730-bed multi- not-for-profit hospital in disciplined hospital encompassing a million sq ft of space and spread across Mumbai. Tina, who is also 19 floors. India, says Tina, has a unique perspec- active in the art world, tive to offer the world in terms of its health- care expertise. “We have a centuries-old wants to consolidate her culture of ethics, care and compassion. efforts before looking at If we can marry these with the latest, advanced medical technology, infrastruc- expansion, writes ture and maximum care for the patient, we can offer the best in healthcare to the Anand Kumar. rest of the world”. 22 23 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY What prompted you to venture into ness among patients and give them the healthcare sector? Do you plan informed choices. to expand to other cities? My father-in-law, Dhirubhai Ambani, What kind of investment has been believed that a disease cured or a life made in your hospital and what saved gives you a lot more gratification are the returns that you are look- than anything else, be it any business, ing at? or profits, or financial gain. So we de- We have set up the hospital to serve cided that we would get into health- people. If you look at the cost of even care. one of our latest equipment, even if we We are not in this for the profit. We treat 10,000 patients, we will not recov- are also not planning to expand to oth- er the cost. We are providing a service er cities, though we may have satellite and creating a healthcare set-up that is centres to be able to connect to the in- international. terior parts of India. Eventually, I definitely hope to make Let me make it clear, we are not a profits, but the profits will be going commercial entity, though our capi- back into the hospital. It is not for the tal investments match those made by promoter. We are in no sense looking any hospital of international standards. at anything like that. I want to be self- Everything is based on American stan- sufficient. Every institution should be dards and our investments are far more self-sufficient as that is the only way to than any other hospital built in India. create an institution. But I am not look- We have spared no costs in bringing ing at profits. in state-of-the-art equipment. Some of We will continue ploughing in mon- our equipment is probably the first of ey. Healthcare is a capital-intensive its kind, not just in India, but also in the sector and we have to keep upgrading Tina Ambani region. technology, which is a continuous pro- We have a vision to strengthen cess. In an interview with India Now, Tina the sector in India by catering to the Though ours is a not-for-profit hos- talks about her pet project, about India community’s health needs and by em- pital, it has to sustain. It is a hospital emerging as a healthcare hub, her fu- powering patients to make informed and there are tariffs and payments that ture plans and also about the art world choices. Right now, the awareness lev- have to be made. But we are not exorbi- in India. els are low. We want to create aware- tant. We have a mandatory requirement 24 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY of keeping 10 per cent of our in-patient tients can be accompanied by relatives, programmes. I am not looking at tie- beds as free ones. Going forward, we who can now stay within the hospital. ups in terms of branding. will have a corpus that will take care of India has a unique perspective to of- needy patients. fer; we have a centuries-old culture of Has this project taken a lot of ethics, care and compassion. If we can your time? Has it affected your Do you see India emerge as a ma- marry these with advanced medical art collections and your Harmony jor medical tourism hub? Is your technology, infrastructure and maxi- shows? hospital geared to meet the needs mum care for the patient, we can offer I have been involved with this project of international clients? the best in healthcare to the rest of the since October 2005. I am a great be- We are looking at opportunities in world. liever in empowering people and team- medical tourism in a big way. We will work. If you can create good teams be catering to patients from the West, Are you looking at attracting Indi- and empower them, they are going to the Middle East and from South-East an doctors settled abroad to return deliver the best and be responsible for Asia. Healthcare in the West is very ex- home and work for your hospital? what they deliver. pensive and it is also very insurance- We already have doctors from the US, I have had a great team, whether oriented. the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Aus- in my art endeavour, in the Harmony In England, they have the National tralia working full-time with us. Foundation’s work for senior citizens Health Service, which has a huge wait- and for this hospital. If you start some- ing list. If a patient needs treatment ur- Will you be looking at the option thing, if you have passion for it and if gently, he will have to look at another of acquiring hospitals in India? Are you work with like-minded people, it is country. Some heart patients have to you also looking at strategic alli- not difficult to achieve your goals. wait for as long as six months for treat- ances with other international hos- The art market has been impacted ment. We hope to reach out to such pa- pitals? by the global economic meltdown. Li- tients. We have just begun our hospital and quidity is a problem, so where is the We have provided the best facility right now we want to concentrate on question of people investing in art. available anywhere in the world. From providing the best in healthcare. We But for me art has always been an in- our point of view, it is very important have cut no corners and we have not tuition, a journey and a pleasure. For that we have doctors all the time at the been stingy in any manner. me to discuss art commercially — I hospital because we want our patients We have no plans for an alliance cannot relate to it. I buy intuitively, and to be taken care off. with international hospitals, though we I buy if I like something and if I can We also have 50 dedicated beds as are open to joint workshops, exchang- afford it. Otherwise, I just appreciate patient-relative rooms. Overseas pa- ing notes, or conducting joint research and admire it. GOOD AS GOLD FOR THE SILVErs THE Harmony Foundation started by Tina about a thousand calls a month from all Seniors need to be open-minded Ambani has been involved in a range of over India, “especially from the silvers, about the scheme as it offers them activities for senior citizens. Recently, the seniors”,adds Tina. “We try to sort financial independence, points out Tina. it set up a national helpline for senior out the different issues, explaining to But she admits that it is difficult to change citizens, answering their queries relating them the advantages of the scheme”. the mind-set. The scheme enables a to the reverse mortgage loan scheme The foundation has also organised two senior citizen — owning a home — to that the National Housing Bank (NHB) seminars in Delhi and Mumbai. mortgage (or reverse mortgage) it to introduced last year. a bank that will then advance money, “Reverse mortgage is a big thing in worked out on the basis of the market the West”, explains Tina. “But in India value of the unit. it has not taken off as expected. There The senior citizen can then start is a taboo in India about mortgaging our repaying the loan through monthly homes and many people are not aware installments. In the event of his or her what this scheme is all about”. death, the children can opt to repay the The national helpline has been getting loan and get back the home.