BW HEALTHCARE WORLD AUGUST 2022

Raising
The Bar

Saurabh Kochhar tells us what worked as we had an omni-channel approach. We started
Meddo is all about, what it does by first aggregating the clinics and then focused on the top.
and what it is planning ahead Even in the pandemic of multiple waves we had to make
our business normal and services were provided.

What is it that has made Meddo successful?

What are the new things we can expect in the near I don’t think we are successful yet. What we have set out

future from Meddo? to do is bigger. Our belief is that more than half of the hos-

Essentially what we are trying to do with Meddo is to or- pitalisations happening today are not actually needed.

ganise the entire out-patient care experience. Our belief

is that the way we are approaching healthcare in India is TheNationalDigitalHealthMission(NDHM)--what

completely wrong. In fact, it leads to perverse incentives. are the challenges to the success of this programme?

Everything is built up to get pushed into hospitals instead How do we navigate those challenges?

of keeping people out. One only gets insurance if you are in Whenever we talk about data we get lost in the privacy

hospitals overnight. Whether it is insurance, hospitals and issue. Globally and nationally there are enough examples

even doctors, every single element of the healthcare eco- of how privacy issues can be resolved. The only other data

system is better incentivised including the patient as they which is in the rough vicinity of importance of a privacy

have insurance and that they will only get by being hospi- aspect as much as your health data is your financial data.

talised. This is the wrong way. It delays the care till hospi- Those are two critical data points that everyone carries.

talisation. Secondly, from the service delivery perspective As a country we have done it successfully and even glob-

what we see is extremely fractured and broken. Whether ally people have done it successfully. There is a clear tem-

it is medicines, diagnostics, nutrition, a doctor consulta- plate which we can follow. What we are doing with NDHM

tion — all of these become modalities, online, in clinic, at currently is creating all the important tools.

home. All of these will come together

on one single platform called Meddo. “Our belief is that the way we are approach-
There will be doctor clinics, homecare, ing healthcare in India is completely wrong.
medicines, diagnostics, doctor consul-

tations, nutrition, products, devices In fact, it leads to perverse incentives"
— everything that you need to get back

on your feet, are available to you at your

home, clinic, online — whichever way you want. At Meddo, we have access to the production databases

of NDHM and we are working with it to develop plat-

When you say homecare, are we only talking about forms, being a part of the core group, understanding and

medical professionals or also nurses or attendants? trying to figure out these problems and trying to build the

Every service has to become a modality. Where we are technology solutions around it. But as a provider there is

right now is only consultations, lab collections, etc. The no incentive for me today to actually use these systems

way we envision ourselves it has to be everything – whether and contribute to the databases. As a healthcare provider,

it is attendants, ICU at home, whatever that service is. whether I am a hospital, an outpatient care platform or a

laboratory, how do I make it seamless, and create incen-

How have the last two years been for Meddo? tives for myself to actually contribute that information to

The last couple of years have been fulfilling, scary, exciting the central database so that it can create a central deposit.

all at the same time. We lost 90 per cent of our business That is a challenge as it is not available. n

when the first wave hit. The broader vision in our minds By Team Healthcare World

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 101 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

SAURABH
PANDEY,
39

CEO & Founder
Akna Medical

Health Tech & Logistics

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 102 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“Making Hospitals
Smarter”

Pandey’s cloud-based platform inventory of hospitals?

is enabling hospitals to simplify In the last decade, through various business models
pushing patient awareness and adoption of technology,

and optimise their inventory hospitals were still not using technology beyond the tradi-
tional HIS (Hospital Information Systems) which is used
management
for billing and hospital management. Covid triggered
the adoption of technology. When patients and doctors

were using technology, it became important for hospital

Saurabh Pandey, in a chat with BW Healthcare World providers to transform into ‘SmartHospitals’ by using

talksaboutAknaMedical,orAknamed whichisnotonly technology to drive automation and draw inferences

enabling growth and standardisation of healthcare but from the data that was sitting in their HIS.

providing smart services to more than 1,000 hospitals

across 25 cities. Excerpts How are you digitally transforming Aknamed and

how far it has worked yet?

How does it feel to be a part of this prestigious league We are building Aknamed as a one-stop solution for

of 40 under 40? hospitals to drive digital transformation into a “Smart

It feels very motivating to be among the 40 under 40 win- Hospital”. As Aknamed, we want to help hospitals in

ners. This recognition reassures you that you are on the digitising all non-core areas of operations so that hospi-

right path and can make your presence felt. I feel happy tals and management can focus on clinical and patient

that I could identify the right opportunities in the health- management. By end of 2022, we aim to be present in 45

care sector and use my professional experience to build cities. The hospital sector in India is undergoing a major

an enterprise like Aknamed. transformation and we want to be their partner of choice

in their journey of being “Smart Hospitals”.

How does Aknamed support hospi-

tals in evolving and efficiently tack- “We are giving incentives to the private
ling complexities in healthcare? sector on standard treatment protocol
Hospitals in India are evolving rapidly

to provide superior patient care. Due followed in hospitals”
to the complexity of clinical care and

patient engagement, hospitals have a

tall task of balancing operational, financial and clinical What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?

efficiency. In such a scenario, product management and Anyone looking to start a business should have unwav-

procurement become an important task. At Aknamed, ering conviction in their idea as every day posits many

we support hospitals in transforming their procurement challenges. One needs to be fully motivated to look at

function into a strategic tool which results in driving restarting each day. Also, as markets are maturing, it is

efficiency. Aknamed aims to standardise healthcare by critical to stay abreast of the evolving trends in the space

learning from consumption and forming meaningful you are operating. The ability to identify key team mem-

inferences from them without any incremental input or bers, keenness to adapt and above all agility to act fast

investment from the hospital. Optimising consumption are very important in the early days of any startup. In my

and inventory management will have measured benefits journey, I came across the lines that read ‘Failure is Not

for the hospital provider. Final’ and that has served as my mantra as we scaled to

be the largest hospital supply chain company in India in

What technologies is Aknamed using to manage the less than three years. n By Sneha Patro

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 103 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

SHASHANK
SAINI,
38

Founder & CEO
Medpho

Health Tech

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 104 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

One-stop provider
of Healthcare needs

Medpho aims to be a one- national tie-ups. We have also started the “Sehatshala”
point solution for all essential programme to educate the community on diseases, treat-
healthcare needs of consumers ments, myths, etc., with direct inputs by doctors and the
medical fraternity.

How were the last two years for your business?

Shashank Saini talks about Medpho’s journey as a suc- Medpho commenced operations in July 2021 during

cessful healthcare startup as well as his own role and the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the initial challenges

responsibilities including building a strategy for the or- was behavioural resistance regarding target audience

ganisation’s growth. Edited excerpts of a chat he had with awareness and adaptation. The last ten months have been

BW Healthcare World a great learning experience for us as the dynamics and

behaviour of rural demographics versus urban are very

How does it feel to be in the 40 under 40 club? different. We have built a robust yet easy to use technol-

It is truly an honour to be in this prestigious league. Win- ogy for our end-users, taking everything into account.

ning the 40 under 40 award has given me an immense

sense of responsibility, and I will continue making strides What’s your roadmap for success in your sector?

in the med-tech world.I remember reading a quote from Our roadmap to attaining success focuses primarily on

Zig Zagler, which said, “You don’t build a business, you providing quality and affordable healthcare. We aim to

build people, and people build the business.” do that by continually expanding our partner reach and

growing our B2B and B2C audience through market-

What is Medpho healthcare’s business philosophy, ing funnel optimisation. For our B2C sector, we plan to

and what makes it distinctive from other such plat- launch in 20+ cities by December 2022 and continu-

forms? ally optimise our marketing and branding messaging

We built Medpho with a singular com-

mitment to “provide accessible and “We have also started the “Sehatshala” pro-
affordable healthcare services to all.” gramme to educate the community on dis-
We work primarily to improve the

people’s health in Tier-2 and Tier-3 eases, treatments, myths, etc”
cities, where most of the populace is

underserved due to the lack of health-

care facilities and information. An average healthcare to establish ourselves as the healthcare concierge in the

journey starts with awareness and ends at post-discharge customer’s minds. Our target is adding 2000+ service

care. Medpho caters to each touch point of the healthcare partners to create a hyper-local network of diagnostics,

journey and ensures the best solution for the patient. We pharmacy, ambulatory, and surgery services.

believe in building an impactful business following a zero

denial healthcare policy. What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?

Medpho provides unlimited free teleconsultation as Indiaranks3rdgloballyforthenumberofunicornslaunched.

a primary care service, having served more than a mil- By those standards, Indian entrepreneurs are well ahead of

lion lives. Beyond primary care, Medpho also assists in thecurve.Nevertheless,theadviceIwouldgiveanybudding

secondary and tertiary care. We have collaborated with entrepreneur is to keep an analytical mind, keep your ear to

more than 600+ doctors, 200+ hospitals, 800+ diagnos- the ground and never lose focus of your core product. If you

tic centres, 100+ supply partners, and 1,000+ pharmacies believe your idea solves a problem and creates an impact, go

in Haryana, Uttaranchal, and Uttar Pradesh, barring our forit. n BySnehaPatro

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 105 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

DR SUPRIYA WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM
MALIK, 36

Founder
eMbrace

Mental Health & Health
Tech

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 106

The Mind Can
Fall Sick Too

Dr Malik’s eMbrace is trying to

break the stigma around mental ated with it which exists even in the 21st century.

health and reach out to the We are also looking to expand to smaller cities and
towns, so as to ensure that good quality therapy help

people in need and services are available to all irrespective of their
location.

Finally, we are looking to build a solid referral sys-

tem with other healthcare professionals via word of

mouth, so that no one is missed irrespective of their

How does it feel to be in the prestigious 40 under present situation.

40 club?

I feel humbled and honoured to have received this What keeps you going during a crisis?

award. I also feel immense gratitude as a profes- There are crisis situations in everybody’s life and

sional trying to provide mental healthcare in India, work some time or the other. This is true in our busi-

which has been recognised by BW Businessworld. ness, as well as our clientele. I have always seen both

as opportunities to learn and grow. I firmly believe

What are the challenges you faced while treat- that when you hit a roadblock, that’s when the next

ing mental health patients and making mental big leap is going to happen. The way forward when

healthcare easily accessible? you are down is way up.

Mental healthcare is largely neglected in India. The Roadblocks and crisis allow you to look for unique

stigma around mental health still persists

and we at eMbrace are constantly trying to “I firmly believe that when you hit a
break it. The journey to acceptance of men- roadblock, that’s when the next big
tal health issues continues to be tough be

it for the individual or those around them. leap is going to happen”
It has also been challenging to reach the

people in need, though the digital platform

has made it much easier. solutions, and keeping the focus on the larger picture

Lastly, a big challenge has been to find therapists help you find those unique solutions.

who are well-trained, experienced, and well-qual-

ified. What advice would you give budding entrepre-

The pool is very small, and we need more and more neurs?

trained professionals in the field especially in India. I think the most important thing to keep in mind as

an entrepreneur is to keep focus on your product, but

What’s your roadmap for success? also be resilient.

Mental health is still a taboo in today’s world. How- There will be many setbacks and many challenges

ever, one in every seven Indians is suffering from and one has to persist despite them. To get up when

one kind of mental health issue or the other. It is you fall, and keep going with head held high is the

really important for us at eMbrace to reach all those hardest thing one has to do as an entrepreneur and

people, who for various reasons are not seeking help. a business owner.

We are looking to build awareness regarding men- However, building a never say never attitude is the

tal health, especially changing the way people view secret ingredient to success. n

mental health and the negative perception associ- By Team BW Healthcare World

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 107 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

DR TANVI
MAYUR
PATEL,
38

Endocrinologist
Dr. Tanvi’s Clinic
Healthcare

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 108 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

REACHING
OUT TO THE
MASSES

Dr. Tanvi’s Clinic is one of the “I genuinely
feel that I need
best diabetes, obesity and to simplify
whatever
endocrinology clinic in Mumbai, knowledge I
have gathered
making lives easier for patients over nearly
one-and-a-half
A MONG THE FINEST diabetologists in decades of my
Mumbai city, Dr Tanvi Mayur Patel is known clinical
for offering excellent patient care. Dr Tanvi’s practice”
Diabetes, Thyroid, Obesity and Hormones
(Endocrine) Clinic is equipped with all mod- advice on health and treatments. “In terms of the busi-
ern equipment making healthcare accessible ness though, I don’t consider my profession as a doctor
for patients. as a business. So it didn’t suffer in that way.
When asked about being among BW 40 under 40
winners, Patel said, “It feels nice. I feel honoured and My YouTube channel advice helped many. People
humbled. This award has given a boost to my confi- opted for online consultations. So that is one good
dence.” change which I can see in the healthcare sector. And
most importantly, people are becoming health con-
Completing her MBBS from MGM Medical College scious. The pandemic has made people realise the
in 2006, Patel pursued her Masters in Endocrinology importance of good health”, Patel added.
in the United Kingdom in 2016. She is the youngest
skilled medical professional dedicated to simplifying She said that her roadmap to success is to reach out
what is often a very complicated area in healthcare. to more and more people and help them. She wants to
reach out to the masses on a large scale. And for that,
Dr. Tanvi has a specific interest in diabetes, thyroid, she is utilising the digital platform.
and endocrinology. She doesn’t want that anybody’s
diabetes should be uncontrolled and lead to inconven- For budding entrepreneurs, her message is, “Work
ience. She has faith in early detection and control of hard. Try to find out the solution where other people
any issues emerging because of hormonal imbalances. are finding faults. And that is the key to today’s entre-
preneurship.”
“I genuinely feel that I need to simplify whatever
knowledge I have gathered over nearly one-and-a-half [email protected]
decades of my clinical practice.

It is time for me to give that knowledge to the people
who are needy. And for that, I am using the digital
platform and trying to empower people with authentic
information”, says Patel.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Patel operated a
YouTube channel where she connected with people to

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 109 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

VIVEK WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM
SRIVASTAVA,
39

Co-founder & CEO
HCAH India
Clinical
Services

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 110

QUALITY
CARE AT
HOME

HCAH India has served over 4 “Some of the key
services include
lakh patients across India and has setting up an ICU,
and providing can-
helped them recover comfortably cer care at home.
We also provide
in their homes nursing care and
physiotherapy
V IVEK SRIVASTAVA’S journey in health- services”
care started in 2009 and HCAH (Health
Care at Home) took off in 2012. HCAH is a centricity’ at the core of it. He also says that, “Our mis-
leading home healthcare provider in India, sion also includes delivering credible clinical out-
offering services across a variety of therapy comes, for every patient, every time and evolving a
areas – Critical Care, Neurology, scalable and self-sustaining business model.”
Nephrology, Immunology, GI etc. They fol-
low the best practices and maintain international pro- Their values include trust, empathy, excellence and
tocols and standards. care. Shedding light on their values, Srivastava says,
“We operate with integrity, transparency, and account-
Srivastava works towards phygital chronic disease ability in all our business relationships. We believe in
management of patients outside of the hospital. He forming genuine bonds for an enriching, fulfilling
describes HCAH as one of the largest disease manage- experience for all. Achieving excellence is central to
ment company reaching out to over 1 lakh patients. our ability for delivering superior results. We believe in
the primacy of high-quality healthcare for the effective
According to him, his competition includes home treatment of conditions.”
healthcare players, digital therapeutics players, and
the unorganised market. He also mentions that Srivastava also reveals the names of initial sponsors/
HCAH is much better when it comes to clinical quality promoters of HACH, which include Anand Burman,
and patient satisfaction. As of now, HCAH has served Gaurav Burman, Gareth Jones and Charles Walsh.
over 4 lakh patients across India and has helped them
recover comfortably in their homes. On another note he says that they do not conduct
research and development experiments.
Srivastava goes on to say, “Some of the key services
offered by HCAH include setting up an ICU, and pro- He has led HCAH to be the only home care com-
viding cancer care at home. We also provide nursing pany to be certified among the Great Places to Work.
care and physiotherapy services along with providing
a plethora of clinical procedures at home thereby According to Srivastava, he possesses grit (passion
delivering 70 per cent of all clinical services at home.” and perseverance). “If there is one characteristic I
believe leaders should have then that is grit,” he
HCAH’s vision is to strive to be the most people- adds.
centric, credible and comprehensive healthcare solu-
tion provider in India. Their mission is to fulfill the [email protected]
vision by creating a service delivery model with ‘people

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 111 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

YOGESH
AGARWAL,
31

Founder
Onsurity
Technologies
MSMEs

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 112 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Helping the
‘missing middle’

Onsurity Technologies’ goal How is the company doing given it was started dur-

is to onboard over 10,000+ ing the pandemic?
Our company was established in 2020, at a time when

MSMEs and 1 million users by the pandemic roared into our lives and changed it as
we know it. In this backdrop, the requirement of em-
March 2023
ployee health benefits could and is playing a crucial role

in dealing with the situation. At the same time, we had

to create and design a product that was adequate for

everyone, transparent inside-out and showed promise

of higher retention as the end goal for businesses. We

Howdoesitfeeltobeapartofthisprestigiousleagueof are on a mission to help the ‘missing middle’ and the

40 under 40? highly in-demand gig workers who also have no access

I am humbled by this prestigious recognition and hon- to healthcare benefits unless with us.

our. It has been a long journey to this day, with nerve- The existing health insurance structure including

racking challenges and at the same time so very worth government subsidised schemes, social health insur-

it because of the impact that we are being able to create ance schemes, and private voluntary schemes can po-

with our product. tentially cover 70 per cent of the population, nearly 21.5

crore families. However, the actual coverage is much

Whatinspiredyoutostartahealthtechcompanywhich lower considering not all households eligible for subsi-

providescomprehensiveemployeehealthcaretoSMEs, dised insurance are currently covered, and due to the

MSMEs, startups etc? overlaps between different health insurance schemes.

There are over 63 million SMEs in India, impacting 330 NITI Aayog reports that at least 30 per cent of the popu-

million Indians directly and only 5 per cent have access lation, or 40 crore individuals are devoid of any health

to healthcare. A lot of these people do

not have access to healthcare benefits “We are planning to grow at a CAGR rate of
and hence drain their finances due 2.36 times for the next five years. We will be
to health costs. Our comprehensive

health benefits ensure employers looking at hiring more people this year”
can give complete healthcare to their

teams. But these were merely num-

bers to me before I realised the empathetic situation of protection through insurance. We aim to cover these

blue-collar and SME workers and the lack of financial individuals through our employee healthcare solutions.

aid to support their medical liabilities.

As I was growing up in Kolkata, I helped my family in What is your roadmap for attaining success?

their business. That is when I realised that not only did Our goal is to onboard over 10,000+ MSMEs and 1 mil-

they not have access to healthcare benefits, but were lion users by March 2023 across India. We are also plan-

also not aware of the possibility of such a financial aid ning to grow at a CAGR rate of 2.36 times for the next

existing. The unfortunate times of the pandemic jux- five years. To back this growth, we will be looking at

taposed with the resources and team that Kulin Shah hiring more people in-house this year from diverse back-

(Co-founder) and I needed to start off this venture by grounds, while we will continue mentoring the current

embracing philanthropy with the idea of democratis- team to become employee healthcare space influencers

ing healthcare in India. Our journey started in 2020, and Onsurity’s brand ambassadors.

without a second thought. [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 113 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

ZAHEER
ADENWALA,
37

Co-Founder & CTO
Ketto.org
Healthcare Tech &
Infrastructure

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Bridging the
affordability gap

Ketto, South-East Asia’s largest funds remitted to the hospital.

crowdfunding platform, has been How were the last two years for your business?

a good example of a helping hand Sailing through the pandemic has been very challeng-
ing, especially for the marginalised sections of society.
during the pandemic
In the past year, Ketto has not only doubled up on the

efforts to cater to the medical needs but has also served

the underprivileged communities with food and essen-

tial items across the cities. Ketto has registered mul-

tifold growth in the fundraisers in the last two years.

Howdoesitfeeltobeapartofthisprestigiousleagueof We have strengthened our team size and hired nearly

40 under 40? 200 people in the last eight quarters in various depart-

I am delighted to be a part of Businessworld’s 40 under ments to enable uninterrupted customer support to our

40 league and am grateful for the recognition. At Ketto, campaigners.

our vision is to bridge the healthcare accessibility and

affordability gap and make quality healthcare available Howhaveyoubuiltyourpresence inthesector?

to all. The Ketto team is working tirelessly to achieve I believe innovation, trust, transparency, constant learn-

this vision. We have successfully hosted over 3.2 lakh ing from your experience, and listening to your stake-

fundraisers and raised over Rs 2000 crore for various holders are the keys to thriving in any business. We have

not-for-profit causes. This award is a motivation for all successfully built our presence in the metro cities and

of us to do more phenomenal work for the people and be we are focused on strengthening our presence in tier-2

the change that we want to see in the community. and tier-3 cities to create an impact at the grassroots

level. People in the smaller cities and rural India often

There are multiple crowdfunding

organisations in the market. How “Ketto has collaborated with 280+ chains
does Ketto stand out? of hospitals, hosted over 2 lakh medical
We are determined to offer a plat-

form that is seamless and transparent fundraisers, and raised over Rs 1200 crore”
in the fundraising process. Users of

Ketto primarily raise funds for not-

for-profit causes such as medical emergencies, natu- struggle with finances to get quality healthcare or edu-

ral calamities, animal welfare, education, and women cation. There is a need to spread awareness about the

and children development. Ketto has collaborated with concept of crowdfunding. We have introduced the Ketto

over 280 chains of hospitals, hosted over 2 lakh medical FeetOnStreet (FOS) programme. Under the FOS pro-

fundraisers, and raised over Rs 1200 crore. The com- gramme, the company is recruiting youth from across

pany has managed to build a community of over 72 lakh tier-2 and tier-3 cities to host an awareness campaign

donors. in the local hospitals and educate the masses on medical

Ketto believes in complete transparency and follows crowdfunding.

a stringent verification process. Additionally, the money

raised for all the verified campaigns is not transferred Whatadvicewouldyougivetobuddingentrepreneurs?

to the beneficiaries directly but to the hospital to ensure Understand your calling, be focused, be creative, be

the funds are used for the right cause. The donors are innovative and always believe in yourself.

regularly updated about the status of the campaigns and [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 115 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

INTERVIEW “Infertility
treatment
Is infertility becoming more com- needs to have
mon? all-inclusive
India is home to 27.5 million infertile approach”
couples and the condition is growing
and affects both men and women. Inanexclusiveconversationwith
Approximately 10-15 per cent of the BWHealthcareWorld,AvantiBirla,
relevant age group suffer from fertility
issues. Increasing rates are often due Founder,CKBirlaHealthcare,
to lifestyle changes resulting in stress speaksaboutinfertilityissues,
and obesity, a lack of physical exercise, the treatment and more. Team BW
changes in eating habits, pollution and
accompanied disorders like diabetes. Healthcare World
What prompted the CK Birla
Group to venture into fertility? awareness, access and affordability.
Birla Fertility & IVF strengthens the To fulfil the vast unmet demand for fertility treatments
groups long commitment of providing
quality healthcare (we run hospitals we will set up over 100 comprehensive clinics in the next five
acrossIndia)bysupportingeverycouple years. In order to do this we have invested in the best clinical
in their journey with clinical excellence technologies and expertise, as well as people.
and compassion. In India, less than 1
per cent seek medical evaluation for For me it’s been a personal passion with the setting up of
their infertile condition, due to a lack of ourtwomostrecenthospitalsfromwherethisfertilityventure
comes from. As a young woman I understand the need for a
BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 116 trusting and expert healthcare provider and we wanted to
create just that when it came to fertility as well.

What makes ‘fertility treatment’ different from other
medical decisions?
Withincreasingawareness,moreandmorepeoplearecoming
forwardnowtoexploreIVFandfertilitytreatments.Fertility
is an emotional journey for a couple and it is important to
understand patients and support and respect their decision.
There is a need to integrate advanced research, evidence-
based practices and state-of-the-art technology with
clinical expertise to provide wide-ranging solutions to every
patient. Treatment also needs to have an all-encompassing

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Photograph by CANVA Wehavearichlegacy

approach focusing on improving the ofover50years
fertility health of couples by providing
multi-disciplinary care under one ofdeliveringhigh-
roof where nutritionists, counsellors,
endocrinologistsandandrologistswork qualityhealthcare—
alongside fertility experts.
BirlaFertilityandIVF
Please throw some light on the
current laws and regulations on isasteptoempower
infertility in India and how can
these help patients to seek ethical couplesinmakingthe
and quality treatment?
The field of assisted reproductive rightreproductive
technology (ART), covering the entire
range of fertility treatments, is rapidly choiceandbetheir
growing. The recent ART Bill also aims
at defining a set of regulations in the trustedadvisors
field of IVF and Fertility treatments in
India. It focusses on bringing a more footprint with over 100 clinics in the next 5 years, with an
defined structureandstandardisation investment of over Rs 500 crore. We are present across,
of clinical treatments to improve safety. Gurugram, Lucknow, Kolkata and Delhi. We are accessible
The legislation will also empower and approachable and give our patients adequate time to
patients by making more information devise the best and most customised form of treatment
availableforthemtomakechoicesabout for them. Our pricing philosophy is to make treatment
theirtreatmentwithfullknowledgeand affordable and we ensure transparency in our pricing,
understanding. with no hidden charges. We have several packages that
are attractively priced. As part of our commitment to
What are your long-term plans for expanding awareness on infertility, we are offering OPD
making fertility care accessible? consultations to patients without any charges. We aim to be
Birla Fertility and IVF plans to a global leader in fertility care with a vision to transform the
expand its national and international future of fertility through outstanding clinical outcomes,
research and innovation.
BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 117
There are so many established players in this segment
already. What sets you apart from the rest?
We have a rich legacy of over 50 years of delivering high-
quality healthcare — Birla Fertility and IVF is a step to
empower couples in making the right reproductive choice
and be their trusted advisors. Our promise to patients is that
of clinical reliability, price promise and our empathetic and
trustworthy approach. We work in partnership with couples
sotheyaredecisionmakersintheirownfertilitymanagement,
covering all aspects: fertility preservation services, male
infertility treatments, advanced genetic screening facilities
including those for physical and mental well-being. A highly
experienced team at Birla Fertility and IVF, with over 21k
cycles, has trained in state-of-the-art IVF labs. We have
further built on these capabilities: in terms of clinical and
non-clinicaltraining. n

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

COLUMN / NURSING

CHALLENGES
IN NURSING

Nursesareacriticalresourceforthe
community.Today,wehave1.96nurses
per1,000populationwitharound33.41
lakhregisterednursingpersonnel.A
numbermuchlesserthanwhatisneeded

N urses are a criti- By Usha Banerjee
cal resource for
the community. to patients. These include the nurse-to-patient ratio and
Through the de- skilling of nurses.
cades, while the role
of nurses in healthcare delivery has NURSE-TO-PATIENT RATIO
been appreciated to some extent, it
took the pandemic to highlight their We have no doubt come a long way since independence
invaluable contribution as primary when there were only 7,000 nurses for the population
care providers to patients on the of 400 million, a ratio of 1 nurse for over 5,700 popula-
frontlines. tion. Today, we have 1.96 nurses per 1,000 population
with around 33.41 lakh registered nursing personnel.
Nurses along with other health- This includes 23,40,501 registered nurses and registered
care professionals were hailed as midwives, 10,00,805 nurse associates, and 56,854 lady
true soldiers, enduring hardships health visitors . However, even this is not enough. At pres-
but continuing to work selflessly day ent, there is a shortage of more than 2 million nurses and
and night to save lives. This recogni- we need to add more than 4.3 million nurses by 2024 to
tion is commendable but what is also meet the prescribed World Health Organization (WHO)
required is to recognise and address norms.
the challenges that nurses face today.
Why is the number of nurses important? This is be-
For nurses to deliver the best of cause an optimal nurse to patient ratio leads to measur-
care, hospitals need to ensure a able improvements in patient care. A study conducted
healthy environment that gives them in 168 general hospitals in Israel found that a fall in the
opportunities to use their abilities, nurse-to-patient ratio from 1:4 to 1:6 raised the patient
knowledge, and skills. Some key chal- mortality rate by 7 per cent and with a further increase in
lenges need to be overcome to create the nurse-patient ratio to 1:8, the mortality rate increased
an enabling atmosphere where they to 14 per cent.
can provide the best and safest care
A positive nurse-to-patient ration leads to enhanced
patient satisfaction and a reduction in medication errors,
falls, pressure ulcers, healthcare-associated infections,

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patient mortality, hospital readmis- role and fill any gaps in patient care. This is where skilling
sion and duration of stay, patient care
cost. It also reduces the chances of programmes for nurses come into play, especially in the
nurses’ fatigue and burnout.
area of digital skills. Apollo Medskills, a public-private
The WHO has developed a work-
load indicator of staffing need to partnership between National Skill Development Cor-
estimate the nurses’ manpower
requirement. This should be used poration, Government of India, has trained and certified
to calculate the number of health-
care workers per cadre based on the over 184,000 healthcare resources working in the front-
available workload in the hospital.
One should keep in mind the differ- line in the last 18 months. This includes doctors, nurses,
ent aspects of workload such as task
level, job level and unit level and also allied health and support workers across 15 states in India
factor in the emotional and physi-
cal aspects for achieving workload with a specific emphasis on rural India. It has over 32
balance.
state-of-the-art skill centres across 24 states in India with
Photograph by Indiapicturebudget
innovative teaching methodologies to make healthcare
DIGITAL SKILLING
education more practically relevant.
Nurses are hard-working, keen learn-
ers and have a great adaptation mech- A survey found that only 25 per cent of corporate hos-
anism. Today, nurses have the oppor-
tunity to partner not only the clinical pitals have existing training programmes/platforms with
outcomes but are also integral to the
reputation of the organisation. While smaller private hospitals preferring classroom trainings.
nurses in the bigger healthcare insti-
tutions may be aligned with the best However, the majority of hospitals found online skilling
protocols in the world as a result of
the JCI and NABH standards, there platforms to be cost-effective and efficient compared to
is potential to further enhance their
classroom trainings.
BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 119
Digital skills nurses will

need include basic computer

Atpresent,there skills and the use of electronic
health records, monitoring de-
isashortageof
vices, etc. Going forward, the

morethan increasing use of AI in health-
care will require nurses to have

2millionnurses an understanding of this too
along with technologies such
andweneedto
as AR and VR. Healthcare or-

addmorethan ganisations must encourage
nurses to develop digital capa-

4.3millionnurses bilities and ensure appropriate
access and resources for digital
by2024tomeet
skilling.

theprescribed Just as in other areas of
healthcare, technology has

WHOnorms transformed the practice of
nursing. Digital skilling will

allow nurses to contribute

more and serve patients con-

fidently and safely in an evolving digital healthcare envi-

ronment. Today, digital skills are necessary for nurses to

play an important role in performing health assessments,

actively supporting patients and their families, and en-

hancing work processes to raise quality, lower cost and

improve access.

Addressing some of the challenges that nurses face will

help in creating a nurturing environment where they can

deliver the best care to the public. It will motivate nurses

and create an army that will be ready to meet any future

healthcare challenge! n

The author is Group Director Nursing at Apollo Hospitals

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COLUMN / LIFE INSURANCE

LIFE
INSURANCE A
MUST IN
FINANCIAL
PLANNING

By Ashwin B

There has been growing 45 per cent of the millennials between the age group
focus on health and 25 and 35 years are aware about term insurance, but
well-being over the only 17 per cent have bought such policies, however 60
past decade which has per cent of millennials are willing to opt for retirement
increased significant- plans.
ly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While on the one hand it exposed While a longer life is a very positive sign, and means
the fragility of life, it also encour- most of us will probably live a healthier and a longer
aged individuals to reassess their life, it also calls for better financial planning in order to
lifestyle and look at changes that be able to sustain a good lifestyle, while simultaneously
they need to make to live a healthier protecting against any unforeseen events.
life. Further, with improved health-
care, socio-economic development It is imperative then that everyone needs to create a
and scientific advancement in med- holistic financial plan comprising of long-term savings
icine, there will continue to be an and protection, which would need to include term poli-
improvement in the life expectancy. cies, endowment plans, retirement plans etc. Interest-
ingly, while there is a shift in perception towards life
The overall insurance penetra- insurance, many of us are either not insured or under-
tion in India has increased from insured. In 2011, life insurance penetration was at 3.4
2.71 per cent to 4.20 per cent as of per cent which declined and touched its decadal-low
2020-21. As for life insurance, pen- in 2014 at 2.62 per cent. According to the Economic
etration has increased from 2.15 per Survey 2021-2022, life insurance penetration in India
cent to 3.2 per cent during the same rose from 2.82 per cent in 2019 to 3.20 per cent in 2020.
period. According to the World
Health Organization, globally, life Insurers are customising and introducing products
expectancy has increased by more to suit the evolved customer needs. For instance, ULIPs
than six years between 2000 and have gained significant traction primarily for the flex-
2019 – from 66.8 years in 2000 to ibility they provide to manage funds and offering
73.4 years in 2019. wealth creation along with a life cover. Of late guaran-
teed insurance products have become very popular as
they provide a long-term guaranteed return in addition

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Photograph by CANVA

Focusonhealth hasincreasedduringthe pandemic.Theoverall
insurancepenetrationinIndiahasincreasedfrom2.71percentto4.20
percentasof2020-21.Asforlifeinsurance,penetrationhasincreased

from2.15percentto3.2percentduringthesameperiod

to a life cover. Insurers are also fac- the financial needs.
toring in the financial appetite and Bearing in mind the dynamic and ever-evolving
life goals of individuals and amidst
the vast range of products available choices and lifestyle of new age individuals, it is advis-
in the market today, there is a prod- able to get a life insurance at a young age to be able to
uct for all. get maximum benefits at a lesser premium.

Exide Life’s latest launch, the Individuals should consider three key elements
Smart Income Plan, has been a for choosing the right plan: what liabilities need to
clutter-breaking product as it of- be provided for; what are the significant life goals to
fers two survival benefit options be achieved and how much life income would be re-
to suit the customers at the time of quired. This will ensure a financially comfortable life
purchase – Enhanced Maturity and for the dependents that aligns with their plans such
Enhanced Income. This feature em- as children’s education and marriage, buying the long
powers the policyholder to choose planned dream house or building a corpus for a com-
the receipt of survival benefits dur- fortable post retirement life. n
ing the income pay-out term as per
The author is Chief Operating Officer at Exide Life Insurance
BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 121
WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

HEALTHCARE CASE STUDY

Photograph by CANVA

ANAEMIA AND
THE LESS
PRIVILEGED OF
URBAN INDIA

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ACaseStudyonAnaemiaamong months are anaemic and among women aged between
15-49 years, 55 per cent are anaemic. According to the
womeninurbanslumsby National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) anaemia
among adolescent girls and women of the reproductive
ShilpaSharma,PublicHealthAnalyst, age group has risen by five and three percentage points
respectively in Madhya Pradesh in comparison to the
SwastiHealthCatalyst survey done in 2015-2016.

T he Covid-19 pandemic has impeded the Assessing the situation of anaemia among women
progress of global nutrition targets. The residing in urban slums – a high-risk group – is of criti-
World Health Organization has predict- cal importance to assess and implement targeted inter-
ed that the Covid-19 crisis will lead to an ventions for this vulnerable group. According to census
increase in micronutrient malnutrition, 2011, 28 per cent of the urban population resides in
including anaemia, owing to the disruption of health slums in Madhya Pradesh. Being an important manu-
services and food systems on top of an economic crisis. facturing and industrial site, Indore attracts migrants
Even before Covid, the world was not on track to deliver- from neighbouring areas seeking employment.
ing the Sustainable Development Goal 3, which targets
reduction in anaemia. However, the current crisis has Indore houses the maximum number of urban slum
made things worse. The prevalence of anaemia is higher dwellers, around 5,90,257 as per the records. There are
among women of childbearing age and is a major public limited nutrition focused interventions among women
health problem in developing countries because of low and adolescents of urban slums who are living in a com-
socio-economic status and poor access to healthcare. plex matrix of poverty and malnutrition. Hence, as a
part of Swasti’s NCD screening programme, an attempt
Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red was made to analyse the status of anaemia among wom-
blood cells or the concentration of haemoglobin within en who were screened for abnormal haemoglobin levels,
them is insufficient, resulting in poor oxygen-carrying in order to strategise future interventions.
capacity and insufficiency to meet the body’s physi-
ological requirements, resulting in fatigue, dizziness, WHO WERE SCREENED?
weakness, shortness of breath among other issues. The
optimum levels of haemoglobin required by the body The screening for anemia was done in urban slums of
vary by age, sex, altitude, smoking habits, and during Indore and 3,645 individuals were screened in 55 slum
pregnancy. Children, women, and pregnant women are pockets in five municipal wards. Based on public health
at high risk of developing anaemia. In India anaemia is perspective, it will be interesting to see the status of
the second leading cause of maternal deaths. anaemia across different categories like women aged
between15-49 years, adolescent girls aged between
Globally, one in three women (29.9 per cent) aged 10-19 years, elderly women aged 50 years and above,
between 15-49 years are affected by anaemia. However children aged 5-11 years, children aged 12-14 years,
in India more than half the women aged between15-49 adolescent boys aged 10-19 years, and lastly, men aged
years suffer from anaemia. According to the Nation- 15 years and above.
al Family Health Survey - 5 (NFHS-5) , 57 per cent
of women aged 15-49 years, 59.1 per cent adolescent DESCRIPTION OF THE POPULATION
women aged between 15-19 years, 52 per cent pregnant
women, and 67.5 per cent children aged between 6-59 The migrant population residing in these slums consist-
months, were anaemic in India. ed of either those who had permanently migrated from
other states and towns and owned houses or the float-
There has been an increase in the prevalence of anae- ing migrant population who resided in rented spaces.
mia among women and children compared to the pre- Overall it was a mix of the migratory populations.
vious survey which was done in 2015-2016 (NFHS-4).
The increase in anaemia among women in the repro- Most people were daily wage labourers, unskilled
ductive age group (15-49 years) is 3.9 percentage points, workers, vegetable vendors, and others. Women were
among pregnant women it is 1.8 percentage points, and usually domestic workers, labourers, or working in
among adolescent women (15-19 years), it has increased small-scale industries like toy-making, beedi rolling,
by five percentage points. agarbatti making, garlic peeling, etc.

In Madhya Pradesh, 54.7 per cent of women aged Their usual earning was around 400-500 rupees per
between 15-49 years are affected by anaemia. Anaemia day and depended on the availability of work. There was
is a major public health challenge in Madhya Pradesh, an ample number of substance abuse cases and domes-
especially among women and children. Around three tic violence cases in the slum. Individuals aged 15 years
quarters (73.3 per cent) of children aged between 6-59 and above were screened for anaemia and included both
men and women.

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HEALTHCARE CASE STUDY

HAEMOGLOBIN LEVELS TO DIAGNOSE AENEMIA

Population No Anaemia Mild Anaemia Severe
10-10.9 Moderate <7
Children 6-59 months of age ≥ 11 11-11.4 7-9.9 <8
Children 5-11 years of age ≥ 11.5 11-11.9 8-10.9 <8
Children 12-14 years of age ≥ 12 8-10.9
Non-pregnant women 11-11.9 <8
(15 years of age and above) ≥ 12 10-10.9 8-10.9 <7
Pregnant women ≥ 11 11-12.9 7-9.9 <8
Men, 15 years of age and above ≥ 13 8-10.9

GENDER WISE DISTRIBUTION OF ANAEMIA CASES

Female Male Total

Anaemia 2477 766 3243

Normal 263 149 412

Total 2740 915 3655

AGE GROUP-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF ANAEMIA CASES

Age group Anemia No Anemia Chi square P value
Less than 12.365
20 years 849 (23.2%) 95 (2.6%) .006 , p value is
less than .05
20-40 years
40-60 years 1,548 (42.4%) 176(4.8%)
60 years 656 (17.9%) 108(3%)
and above
190(5.2%) 33(.9%)

HOW SCREENING WAS DONE: ANAEMIA SCREENING IN URBAN
SLUMS WAS DONE BY VARIOUS CHAN-
The screening was carried out through one of the part- NELS LIKE:
ner agencies with a strong community presence in ur-
ban slums in Indore. In the urban settings, different u Door-to-door anaemia screening done by a com-
modalities were used to reach the target population for munity health worker who was trained beforehand,
anaemia screening. These activities were layered on top v The anaemia programme was leveraged with the
of the existing health programme being implemented ongoing government outreach services in the commu-
in these communities by the agency. nities through linkages with the ANMs, Urban ASHAs,

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ANAEMIA AMONG DIFFERENT GROUPS SCREENED

Categories No. of people screened No. of cases with anaemia(%)

Adolescent girls 568 515 (90.7%)
aged 10-19 years

Women 2109 1914 (90.9%)
aged 15-49 years

Elderly women 437 382 (87.4%)
aged 50 years and above

Adolescent boys 204 183 (89.8%)
aged 10-19 years

Men aged 15 years 912 766 (84%)
and above

Children 171 92 ( 88%)
aged 5-11years

Children 194 176 (90.7%)
aged 12-14 years

SEVERITY OF ANAEMIA ACROSS EACH CATEGORY

Categories Total Normal Mild Moderate Severe
53 (9.3%) 227 (40%) 234 (41.2%) 54 (9.5%)
Adolescent girls 191 (9.1%) 817 (38.8%) 940 (44.7%) 157 (7.5%)
aged 10-19 years 568

Women
aged 15-49 years 2105

Elderly women 437 55 (12.6%) 195 (44.6%) 160(36.6%) 27 (6.2%)
aged 50 years 21 (10.3%) 35( 17.2%) 106(52%) 42(20.6%)
and above 146 (16%) 193 (21.2%) 433 (47.5%) 140 (15.4%)

Adolescent boys
aged 10-19 years 204

Men aged 15 years

and above 912

and Anganwadi workers. The screening was conducted x Screening was done at the Health Camps conducted
along with the regular outreach camps held in Angan- by the partner agency for general health check-ups,
wadi Centres, y Special camps were held targeting populations like
w Anaemia screening was done for the people who daily wage labourers. These camps were held at the ‘Ma-
came for Covid vaccination in the Covid vaccination jdoor Chaourahas’ (areas specially designated for con-
outreach camps. Networking with the urban ASHAs, tractors to come and pick up people for labour on a daily
ANMs, and Anganwadi workers was done to achieve wage basis) early in the morning before they would go
maximum screenings, to work. Other people who were screened during these

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HEALTHCARE CASE STUDY

camps were vegetable vendors, other small vendors, and anaemia. The Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy launched
the cleaning staff of the Indore Municipal Corporation. in 2018 aims to speed up reduction in anaemia. The
campaign has powered the National Iron Plus initiative
Several doctors and students from nursing colleges which aims to ensure that everyone has access to IFA
supported these camps, while the screening was spe- tablets, be it infants, children, adolescent boys, girls,
cifically done by community health workers. Special and women.
training sessions were held for the community health
workers and nursing students before the start of the The study also shows that anaemia was higher among
NCD screening. people aged 20-40 years. Another study was done in
Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and had shown similar results
Data was collected through Dice Flow, a technology- and highlighted higher prevalence among women of the
enabled data analysis and visualisation software. Data 20-40 years age group.
was exported from mid-August to mid-October 2021
and analysed by using SPSS software. The screening programme has shown a higher preva-
lence of anaemia among women and adolescents, com-
Cut-off values for classification of anaemia across pared to the state or national average.
gender and age groups was taken from National guide-
lines on anaemia mukt bharat given below: There is an urgent need to scale up anaemia aware-
ness efforts among vulner-
FINDINGS OF able groups such as people
THE ANAEMIA living in urban slums.
SCREENING Research has highlighted
PROGRAMME: some of the behaviour
practices among women in
As many as 3,655 peo- urban slums, such as not all
ple were screened for women obtaining free IFA
anaemia during the tablets from public health
NCD screening camp. facilities, limited intake of
Among them 2,477 green leafy vegetables in
were females and 776 spite of having knowledge
were males, making about them, food insecu-
the men to women ratio rity among the urban poor,
1:3.2. Of these individu- poor decision making in
als screened 3,243 (88.7 PhotographbyIndiapicturebudget
per cent) were detected with anaemia. Among the fe- the household, stock-outs in the health facility.
males screened, 90 per cent were detected with anaemia. Household food insecurity and micronutrient defi-

Anaemia was more common in 20-40 years olds ciency also lead to anaemia. Household food insecurity
among all the age groups. Statistically, a significant as- is one of the predictors of anaemia among women. In-
sociation was found between age and anaemia. (Please terventions targeting household food insecurity among
see Table: Age-group-wise distribution of anaemia). the urban poor can help in designing better interven-
tions. Along with this strengthening iron and folic acid
Distribution of anaemia cases within different cat- interventions, dietary interventions, food fortification,
egories like adolescent girls, women of reproductive age dietary diversification and improved health services
group children was also studied and screening results should be done.
indicated a high percentage of women in the reproduc-
tive age group to be anaemic. Anaemia was also very Some studies also suggest that the absence of a re-
common among adolescent girls and boys. Nine out sponsible caregiver leads to malnutrition among chil-
of 10 adolescent girls screened were anaemic. (Please dren and young adults. A lot of socio-cultural practices
see Table: Anaemia among different groups screened). will have to be kept in mind in order to address the issue
of anaemia among the urban poor.
Most women screened for anaemia suffered from
mild to moderate anaemia. The severity of anaemia More people are migrating to urban areas and in all
among various groups is given in Table: Severity of these years the population of urban slums has been rap-
anaemia across each category. idly increasing in a chaotic manner. With the increase in
migration to urban areas, specialised and urban poor-
RECOMMENDATIONS: focused health interventions need to be designed. In
order to address the anaemia issue in the urban slums,
Maternal, adolescent and child anaemia is a crucial a more direct, focused, and inclusive approach is the
public health programme in Madhya Pradesh. Most need of the hour. n
women, adolescents and children are suffering from

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COLUMN / AGEING

THE
IMPORTANCE
OF POSITIVE
AGEING

With the passing of years, one becomes
increasingly conscious of one’s mortality and
over time this topic is discussed more often
amongst friends and colleagues

L iberalisation and glo- By Mohit Nirula
balisation over the last
four decades in inde- style and approach to life that helps them retain their
pendent India have physically fitness, remain mentally alert, be intellectu-
effected a deep socio- ally stimulated, emotionally balanced, nutritionally
logical change in our country. healthy and spiritually aligned in a social environment.

We see an increasing nuclearisa- SIX PILLARS OF POSITIVE AGEING
tion of Indian families, three gener-
ations of children who on the back of These are the six pillars of Positive Ageing – physical,
their education and skills are mem- mental, intellectual, emotional, nutritional and spiri-
bers of the global workforce and an tual – all of which need to be nurtured equally to ensure
increasing number of seniors stay- that one remains healthier for longer.
ing on their own – because of both
circumstances and choice. While it is natural for the human body and mind

At the same time, especially as it
applies to the Indian middle class,
senior citizens in India enter the
sixth decade of their life more fi-
nancially independent than their
previous generations.

They have discharged all their
responsibilities and are ready to
embrace and enjoy the best phase
of their lives – a period when they
have the resources, the desire and
the time to live life to the fullest.

At this stage, it is very important
that senior citizens adopt a life-

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Photographs by Indiapicturebudget

News stories about seniors accomplishing great feats
in many diverse fields of endeavour are becoming increasingly
commonplace. The old paradigm of faculties and prowess diminishing

with the passage of time is changing

to become weaker with age, it is ties and games stimulate the mind and provide new
equally true that the rate of decline learning.
can be arrested, and good health
maintained for far longer than has An old proverb says, “Nothing is certain but death
been assumed, through a profes- and taxes”. Elderly people talk a lot about mortality
sional and scientific approach to with friends and colleagues. The over-riding senti-
ensure the overall well-being of ments and expressed desires in such conversations is
one’s health. that while death is an imperative certainty, one wishes
that it be pain free and trouble free – for the individual
Physical fitness is made up of and for his / her family and loved ones.
strength, stamina, balance and flexi-
bility – all aspects that can be worked Positive Ageing gives one the best chance of achiev-
upon and improved through exercise ing this desire. It gives one the opportunity to enjoy
and by keeping an active lifestyle. the final phase of one’s life so that all the efforts, trials
and tribulations of the first six decades of life are truly
Meditation and yoga are known maximised in the manner in which one spends the last
for their beneficial impact on the three decades. n
mind, body and soul. Social inter-
action, through group travel, activi- The author is CEO of Columbia Pacific Communities

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COLUMN / WELLNESS

CHASING
HAPPINESS

Weonlyneedprecisionand
passion,toaccessabundant
opportunitiestobeinjoy

IN the twists and topsy- By Minnku Buttar
turvy life, do you nostal-
gically wonder when, and strong currents, can rarely save another from drown-
how you lost your capacity ing), and “guilt” (at feeling joyful amongst the languish-
to have childlike joyful fun, ing states of overwhelm, anxiety, and grief around us).
and instead allowed life to become
mundane? Is this a dichotomy and conflict? Not really! Our only
single burning question should be: How do we find joy
What do joy and happiness look in the face of life’s inevitable suffering?
like? “Happiness is like a butterfly
that lands on us and then flutters During this unprecedented remarkable time of tre-
away”, says Dalai Lama. mendous transmutation of the Universe’s collective
conscious, we only need precision and passion, to ac-
Joy, on the other hand, is our most cess abundant opportunities to be in joy, to heal our
natural vibration, a non-negotiable wounded souls through forgiveness, attitude of grati-
sacred practice, available to each tude, kindness, optimism, resilience at work and per-
one of us, beyond caste, gender and sonal environments, co-create positivity, and uncon-
ethnicity. Unfurl the mast of your ditional love for humanity. Imagine dumping greed,
yacht and see yourself sail through lust, power struggle, scarcity, at the bottom of the sea?
hardships, crisis, challenges, trage-
dy, pain, suffering. Practice it again What stands in the way of joy are fears and anxieties
and again, and watch it becoming of the future, doubts and lack of self- love, anxiety of
a state of “ being”. According to the future, urge to control), and the inability to let go.
Mother Teresa, “Joy is a net of love
by which you can catch souls.” Press the reset button to claim joy. Amidst punctu-
ated tears, and a heart that might have once stared into
As highly intelligent species, we the dark abyss and despair of our times, fill your days
want to be “unsinkable”, we crave for with laughter and joy that comes from encountering
the ultimate state of peace, content- new experiences.
ment, love, and joy. Yet, post-pan-
demic, we have allowed ourselves to Take deliberate action to clear the debris of human-
be drowned in “compassion fatigue” ness. That is where “Creativity” resides – a place to
(even the best swimmer, amidst explore your full potential – The “Zone of Excellence”. n

The author is a National Award-winning Transformation and Mind-
fulness Facilitator, Energy Healer, Motivational Keynote speaker,

Published Author (Book of World Records), Featured Contributor at
BizCatalyst 360, Talk Show Host, Social change maker

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 130 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

#BWFOD2022

4th Edition

SUMMIT & AWARDS 2022