BW HEALTHCARE WORLD AUGUST 2022

“A Crisis Is An
Opportunity”

The pandemic made Medgini realised that they cannot go on as they wish to without
more emphathetic towards its leveraging technology. A crisis is a wonderful opportu-
nity to relearn and relook the way you are doing business.

employees,whointurn enabled What’s your slogan for success?
the company to reach out to Always keep your customer at the centre while you are

customers through the travail building products, reaching out for alliance, scaling
business, raising capital, attracting the best talent,

investing in next generation technologies.

How is Saksham Innovations changing lives? In my journey of building Medgini, as written in the

We at Medgini are revolutionising healthcare com- Bhagavad Gita, I always experience that “Whatever

munication since 2013 by having the largest reach of happened, happened for the good. Whatever is hap-

verified pharmacy (medical stores) and doctors. Our pening, is happening for the good. Whatever will hap-

services enable pharma marketers to digitally reach pen, will also happen for the good.” Always be positive

out to their target audience for awareness, availability in any situation and trust that life gives you opportu-

and mobility solutions. During the lockdown while nities to succeed, provided you are there to sense the

the entire medical representative community was same and grab it with speed. Have good mentors /

constrained from reaching out to its target audience, subject matter expert. Invest in 20 minutes’ learning.

we were the partners of choice of pharma marketers. Always run your business with a system and process.

We processed more than 100 million conversational

experiences across both messaging and voice channels What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?

across the year by reaching out to chemists and doctors Be S.M.A.R.T. as in the following:

digitally in India. Our success driven campaign helped Seed Capital – If you are confident of your business

chemists (medical stores) get timely informa-

tion, which helped them to do business better. “The company is on a mission to invest
The company is on a mission to invest in in advanced technologies like AI, Big-

advanced technologies like AI, BigData,

ChatBots, to interpret and give data insight Data, ChatBots, to interpret and give
for doing business better. We believe, health- data insight for doing business better”
tech has tremendous scope in a country like

ours, where the scale will give you the fruits

of hard work being done. put your money and get the minimum viable product

ready before you look for outside capital.

What keeps yougoingduringacrisis?Doyouseeitas Measure - Your key performance regularly. KPIs to be

an opportunity or a challenge? Define > Measure > Improved > Rewarded

On 24 March, 2020 when a lockdown was announced Accelerate – In tough times accelerate your thoughts

in India, were prepared. So, from 15 March we sent to survive and aspire for higher goals

all our employees home with 15 days advance salary. Reliable – Be a reliable partner to your customer. Let

Something struck us on 15 March that we should not your customer achieve their aims by working with you.

cut salaries or jobs of any employee and rather focus on Trends – Analyse the trends of your industry w.r.t.

increasing business. Their blessing worked for us. Our customer behaviour, disruptions which will impact

business grew three times during the Covid pandemic, your business in the days to come. n

i.e, 2020-21. With the onset of Covid-19, businesses — Team BW

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 51 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

DIVEJ
WADHWA,
33, Founder & CEO,

Orange Health

Digital

Healthcare Tech &
Infrastructure

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 52 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“Our Business
Model is Unique”

Divej Wadhwa heads Strategy at cific marketing firm, we have collected data across
Orange Health Digital, which he has crores of patients through our campaigns and thou-
sands of HCPs to make informed decisions.

founded. Hetalksof thenewmedia We guide strategic marketing decisions with a com-
mitment to emphasise quality over quantity. I believe
marketing agency. Excerpts:
that providing clients with a discreet level of personal
attention and specialised service allows us to carve

our niche within the crowded space of digital agencies.

This is also the driving force behind our organisational

Howdoesitfeeltobeapartof thisprestigiousleague style with a ‘less is better’ approach. We’ve built a di-

of 40 under 40? verse yet specialised team that comes together with a

I’m absolutely honoured to be a part of this prestigious common vision of providing client-oriented solutions

league. I’m also incredibly proud of the team that we that go beyond vanity metrics and deliver tangible

have built over the years and it is extremely rewarding value.

to see that our efforts are not just paying off, but are

also earning us recognition. How were the last two years for your business? What

At Orange Health Digital, our focus has always been were the challenges and opportunities?

on providing strategic solutions and delivering real I’m not going to deny that Covid had not posed a major

value for our clients. Joining the prestigious league challenge to our business at the outset. However, how

of 40 under 40 really is like the icing on the cake and you react during a time of crisis has a direct impact on

I’m delighted to receive this honour. Our focus is still how employees respond to the situation and perform.

on reinventing ourselves so that we can best serve the We found that being honest and recognising vulner-

healthcare industry. So, while we’re certainly celebrat- abilities was most effective in inspiring and motivat-

ing the recognition, we’re still keep-

ing our eye on the ball and planning “We’ve built a diverse yet specialised team
our next moves. that comes together with a common vision

What is Orange Health Digital’s of providing client-oriented solutions”
business model?

We have a fairly diverse client

portfolio that includes a number of large pharmaceutical ing employees. While there were several operational

companies, hospital networks, multispecialty chains, challenges in terms of team management and coor-

as well as nutraceutical and Ayurvedic brands. Our dination, we all went to work virtually and everyone

model is unique, as we generally only on-board select A recognised that we are in this together.

level companies across various healthcare categories, On the business front, Covid first presented a seri-

design customised marketing solutions for them and ous challenge, but it soon revealed great opportunities

handhold them across the entire digital transformation for growth. Most businesses in the healthcare space,

journey. Our clients include the likes of brands such as from pharma giants to emerging Ayurvedic brands,

Roche Diagnostics, Boehringer Ingelheim, Glenmark, were forced to re-evaluate their business and market-

Gleneagles Hospital Group, Emami, Pure Nutrition, ing strategies, shifting their focus towards the digital

Jaslok Hospital, Madhavbaug etc. domain. That helped open a whole lot of doors for us

We are a data driven company and data defines most at Orange Health Digital. n

of our marketing decisions. Since we are a sector spe- — By Sneha Patro

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 53 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM



6th

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 56 DR GAURI
AGARWAL, 40

Founder & Director,
Seeds of Innocence
& Genestrings
Diagnostic Centre

Frontline Medical
Professionals

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“Targeting Regions
Like Africa & CIS”

The Seeds of Innocence is a leading andmycolleagues.

chain of IVF and surrogacy centres, Whatisyourblueprintforsuccess?

which serve as comprehensive Healthcare per se and specially the field of Assisted Re-
fertilityclinics. Founder,DrGauri production, can only be successful if the clinical out-
come is consistently good. We focus on ensuring that
Agarwal says she ensures that
quality is not compromised experienced and well-trained experts are employed even
in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Also, grassroots level market-
ing and mass awareness camps hold a key. Hence, we

choose to bring the services closer to the patients by way

The Seeds of Innocence, a bootstrapped IVF chain, of healthcarecampsin50-200kmradiusofeachcentre.

began with just one centre in 2015. What is its scale of

operationtoday?Howdoesthefertility centre chain What keeps you motivated during a crisis? Do you

plantoprovide qualityservices intier-2andtier-3cities? perceiveacrisisasachallengeoranopportunity?

At Seeds, we are launching our 15th centre in India at A crisis, especially a global crisis like the pandemic we are

Lucknow, which will be a comprehensive centre of excel- facing, presents a challenge to the existing systems and

lence for gynaecology and infertility. In addition to that, ways of working. Be it adoption of new technology like

2022 will mark the launch of our first overseas centre telemedicine or outright pivoting of businesses, a crisis

in Muscat, Oman with one mother unit and 11 spoke most definitely offers a lot of opportunities for those who

centres. have the vision and foresight.

Despite multiple lockdowns and being listed as a non- For us, the timely adoption of telemedicine and medi-

essential service during the first wave, we launched three cal management at home along with collaborations with

new domestic centres, taking the count to 15 in India several radiology units, helped in minimising the pa-

and finished work on our first international

centre in Oman. “We focus on ensuring that experienced
We are strategically and predominantly and well-trained experts are

focussed on tier-2 and tier- 3 regions where

quality healthcare is not available. This helps employed even in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
in gaining traction since the patients not only Also, grassroots level marketing ...”
gain from the highest quality clinical ser-

vices on a par with those in metro cities, but

also do not have to bear the burden of travel costs. tients’ need to travel. With this assurance of continuity

of medical care, we did not have to shut any centres and

Howdoesitfeeltobeclubbedinthe40under40list? never had to think of any pay cuts.

I am extremely honoured to be a part of the BW Health-

care World 40 under 40 list. I am earnestly grateful for Wheredoyouseeyourcompanyinthenextfew years?

the recognition I have received for my work, because I am We are looking at increasing our penetration by opening

very sure that every other nominee for this award was as new hub centres, mergers and acquisitions and focusing

capable, if not more, of winning this award. on building spokes. Also, opening international centres

I have faced several challenges on my way here, but is a major focus now, targeting regions like Africa and

each one of them has only strengthened me to make me the CIS. n

the person I am today. This would not have been possible

without the inspiration I have received from my family [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 57 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 58 INISH
MERCHANT,
31

COO,
aiqahealth

Healthcare Tech &
Infrastructure

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

INNOVATIVE
HEALTHCARE healthcare delivery was born during the Covid-19
pandemic, one of the biggest crisis the current gen-
eration has seen. During the pandemic which has

DELIVERY lasted over two years, we have impacted six lakh
lives.”

Merchant’s mantra for success is challenging
himself to venture beyond his comfort zone, one

step at a time. He believes that one needs to keep

Aiqahealth provides affordable and trying and innovating not just to accomplish one’s
dreams but also to inspire others. “As my father

sustained healthcare to patients always says,” Merchant muses, “the harder you
work, the more luck you seem to have.”
at their home through technology.
It particularly benefits users in Affordable & inclusive

Talking of the company’s goals, he says, “We at

tier-2 cities and smaller towns who aiqahealth are building affordable, inclusive, qual-
ity and accessible healthcare for Bharat. We have
cannot afford or have access to
medical specialists in their vicinity focussed our energies on Indians beyond metros,
where the average household earnings are less than
Rs 1,000 per day. The target population size is 60

I NISH MERCHANT, COO, aiqahealth, says the crore Indians and we have only been able to create
company aims to provide affordable and quality an impact on six lakh lives. We have only achieved
healthcare in India, where it is not easily availa- 0.1 per cent in the last two years and this is just the
ble. Talking to BW Healthcare World, start. With tech-enabled affordable healthcare
Merchant says, “86 per cent of all the medical plans we aim to achieve 10 folds growth year-on-
year.”

visits in India are made by Indians beyond met- Inspired

ros with the majority still travelling more than On being a part of BW Healthcare World’s list of 40

100 km to avail of a healthcare facility of which Under 40, Merchant exults, “It’s absolutely amaz-

70-80 per cent is borne out-of-pocket, landing ing. I’m ecstatic. The 40 Under 40 award is an

them in poverty.” acknowledgement of a job well done and justifica-

“The happiness and content tion for the agony, the self-

you see in the aiqahealth’s bene- “aiqahealth’s ideol- doubt, time away from family
ficiaries and their family mem- ogy of integrating in- and the hard work that went
bers when they get affordable yet into building aiqahealth, erst-
surance and technol-
quality care without burning a ogy with healthcare while Doctor On Call. The
hole in their pockets, is what delivery was born dur- award wouldn’t have been pos-
keeps the team motivated to sible without the team we have
strive for more,” he tells us, add- built at aiqahealth. We’ve got

ing, “For me, the blessing I ing the Covid-19 pan- the most amazing and exciting
receive each day from the lives demic, one of the big- team.”
we touch is the sole motivation
“This award is just the inspi-

to keep going during any crisis gest crisis the current ration we needed to keep going
situation.” generation has seen. on the road we’ve been heading
During the pandemic down and create healthcare
The ideology that is more affordable, inclu-

Merchant explains that “aiqa- we have impacted six sive, quality-driven and acces-
health’s ideology of integrating lakh lives.” sible for everyone,” he adds.
insurance and technology with
— By Upasana

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 59 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 60 JITTEN VIR
BHASIN, 37

CEO,
Yuvraj Singh Group,
YouWeCan
Foundation

Healthcare NGO

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“I SEeveerOyuSrtNatGeO” in

The YouWeCan Foundation has the work that we do directly impacts hundreds and thou-
beencreating large-scalepublic sands of people. That is extremely motivating. I always
see a crisis as a great opportunity because it’s a time when

health programmes, primarily you can come up with some brilliant innovations and
to fight cancer. Excerpts of a new strategies and have the courage to do things that are
completely out-of-the-box, in order to create great im-

conversation with the foundation’s pact. An example of this would be our recently concluded
Group CEO, Jitten Vir Bhasin: #Mission1000Beds imitative, as part of which we have
set up 1020 Critical Care Unit Beds at 14 government

hospitals in 11 states. This was an extremely innovative

rapid response and low-cost project that we executed at

How does it feel to be a part of this prestigious league of theheightof thesecondwaveof theCovid-19pandemic.

BWHealthcareWorld’s40under40?

It feels great! Being part of this prestigious league is a Wheredoyouseeyourfirminthenextcoupleofyears?

great motivator for me and my team to work harder, I see our NGO having active projects in every state of

think bigger and create more impact. It has also been a the country. We want to scale each of our programmes.

great learning experience, to be able to exchange ideas, We want to take our cancer screening initiatives pan-

knowledge and innovations with some of the pioneers India and screen a million people in the next two years.

and innovators of the healthcare sector. We also want to have a YouWeCan Help Desk at every

single Regional Cancer Centre across India. Through

What’syourroadmapforsuccess? the YouWeCan Cancer Treatment Fund, we have till date

Our roadmap is to create large scale pub- “We have recently partnered with the
lic health projects, which are innovative,

efficient and cost effective. Our strategy government of Goa for a project called
has always been to work closely with the ‘Swasth Mahila, Swasth Goa’ with an
government and focus on empowering the

government’s health system, rather than aim of screening 1 lakh women for
trying to create parallel structures. We breast cancer in the next two years”
like to develop models that can be easily

scaled and replicated across the country.

Moreover, we adopt a multi-stakeholder approach in all provided financial aid for the treatment of 100 paediatric

our initiatives because we firmly believe that in order to cancer patients. Over the next couple of years, we want to

address India’s public health challenges, key stakehold- increase that number ten times to 1,000.

ers such as the government, the private sector, NGOs,

hospitals and startups/ innovators need to work together Whatadvicewouldyougivebuddingentrepreneurs?

in a collaborative approach. I would advise budding entrepreneurs, especially those

The project is now in full swing and we will soon start in the healthcare sector, to think public health, think

reaching out to other state governments with the aim scale and think Bharat! They should think of ways to give

of replicating this project in as many states as possible. every Indian access to quality and affordable healthcare,

especially those living in rural and semi-urban areas.

Whatkeepsyougoingduringacrisis?Doyouseeacrisis They should think of ways to achieve scale so their inno-

asanopportunityorachallenge? vations can serve 1.4 billion Indians and not be limited

What keeps me going during a crisis is the realisation to those from a higher income group or those living in big

that there is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders and cities. n — By Team BW

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 61 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

DR KAUSHIK WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM
SARKAR, 34

Director,
Institute for
Malaria & Climate
Solutions

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 62

DISRUPTING
MALARIA
across the globe within a rich community of practice

PREDICTIONS to inform this response by knowledge sharing,” says
Dr Sarkar.

“The pandemic has further bolstered the fact that in
today’s world, if we are to protect the most vulnerable

from the gravest health-security threats, we must

unlock the potential of data science, AI, and health

The IMACS hasdesignedaflexible tech,” he goes on to say. Dr Sarkar sees a roadmap of
toolkit that combines sophisticated overlapping phases of integration of technologies into
decision tools, building capacities across sectors, and

platformsandsoftwarefor micro- translating applications of technologies through tai-
lored strategies in the healthcare sector.

planning and weather-informed The challenges were manifold, with unavailable
prediction of malaria drugs, an unrehearsed supply chain for life-saving
tools and technologies, and an unaccustomed system

failing to cope with the tsunami of cases and deaths.

M ALARIA NO MORE, an international “In our business, it crippled the traditional strategies
NGO, in partnership with the Crown and interventions and impacted the supplies required
Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, launched a to fight against malaria and vector-borne diseases.
virtual centre of excellence in February, But, the silver lining was the disruption it brought to
titled the Institute for Malaria and work culture, innovations, decision making, and regu-
latory affairs. Now, we are more ready than ever to
fight diseases like malaria through collective efforts,

Climate Solutions (IMACS). The insti- new tools and technologies, and better strategies,” says

tute has designed a flexible toolkit that Dr Sarkar.

combines the most sophisticated platforms and soft- On being part of BW Healthcare World’s 40 Under

ware to allow better micro-planning, prediction and 40 list, he says, “The very realisation that you are being

early warning of the disease. “With the generous sup- put on the map and the associated journey right from

port of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi and the the day of nomination to the interview by the jury

Tableau Foundation,” says IMACS Director, Dr panel to the award ceremony help you understand

Kaushik Sarkar, “we are now disrupting the process of from the dipstick where you stand. At the same time, it

health decision-making for a healthy future.” enables you to gauge your responsibilities, being

Malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases are the amidst a number of those whose beautiful works are

worst examples of climate-driven “ We convene the changing the life on earth.”

health hazards. Unfortunately, Dr Sarkar’s advice to other bud-

those most affected by malaria also best minds working ding entrepreneurs is “not to stop
live in areas hardest hit by climate- in interdisciplinary turning abstraction into reality
change driven inaccessibility. due to earthly challenges, such as

Housed in Malaria No More, health-climate re- lack of team, scarcity of financial
IMACS is a global virtual centre search from across resources, and regulatory road-
that focuses on driving intersec- blocks. With every other variable

tional response, protecting the most the globe within a moving, the only thing that can
vulnerable by turning weather rich community of restrict our success is us remaining
obstacles into opportunities to practice to inform constant and unadaptable ... The
improve access and enable preci- key to success is to upgrade oneself

sion interventions. “We convene the this response by with the required skills, not lim-
best minds working in interdiscipli- knowledge sharing” ited to a specific discipline.”
nary health-climate research from
— By Team BW

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 63 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 64 KHUSHBOO
JAIN, 34

Co-Founder & COO
ImpactGuru.com
Social Healthcare

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“Crowdfunding
healthcare”

ImpactGuruhashelped 25,000+ support Khalsa Aid, the humanitarian organisation
patients, and impacted 5 lakh lives to procure oxygen concentrators across Delhi-NCR as
India battled the second wave of Covid. ImpactGuru and

with donations coming in from Swasth Digital Health Foundation collaborated to boost
the procurement of oxygen concentrators and channel
165+ countries
them to hospitals across the country. Approximately Rs.
2.99 crore was raised on the campaign. During the pan-

demic, ImpactGuru via its partnerships with Swiggy,

Netmeds, PharmEasy, BigBasket, Grofers and many

other large corporates and NGOs, distributed food,

What’s your roadmap for attaining success? medical supplies, to thousands of daily wagers, elderly

ImpactGuru.com was born with a mission to make and the underprivileged. The parents and students of

healthcare accessible to all. Co-founder Piyush Jain and Bombay Scottish School, Mahim in Mumbai raised

I were keen on a business model that would let us add over Rs 58 lakh to support the transportation and other

value and meaning to our community. I’m proud to be school staff who lost their livelihoods.

the first women-led co-founder of a crowdfunding plat-

form in the country. We have helped more than 25,000 Where do you see your firm in the next few years?

patients, and impacted 5 lakh lives with donations com- Over the last six years, ImpactGuru.com has established

ing in from 165+ countries. Our mission is to help over itself as India’s leading medical crowdfunding plat-

10 lakh patients’ manage expenses in the next 10 years. form. We see ourselves as a leader in offering integrated

healthcare financial services to patients while creating

How were the last two years for your business? diversified revenue streams and finding new joint ven-

Making healthcare affordable has always been the main ture/collaboration partners.

vision of our platform and we are glad

to impact the lives of thousands of “We offer both Covid and non-Covid courses
people every month. Donations have via scholarships to over 100,000 nurses,
almost doubled per minute compared

to pre-Covid levels, with an average of mobilising over Rs 5.1 crore worth of funds”
5 donations now per minute on our

platform. Just before the peak of the

second wave in India, ImpactGuru’s fundraising velocity Whatadvicewouldyougivetobuddingentrepreneurs?

reached 1 donation per second. We observed and chan- Being persistent is very important to being a success-

nelled this power-up close by raising approximately Rs ful entrepreneur. One has to showcase an incredible

16 crore ($2.1 mn) each for four babies diagnosed with amount of grit and determination regardless of the chal-

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), one of the rarest dis- lenges. Nobody has achieved something extraordinary

eases known to mankind. in life without taking risks. It is also very important to

On the Covid-19 front, we have raised over Rs 250 find opportunities amidst challenging circumstances

crore. ImpactGuru and Apollo Hospitals have launched and find the tiniest silver lining to solve that problem or

a multi-year nurse upskilling initiative. We provide both situation. Having a mentor to look up to is very crucial,

Covid and non-Covid courses via fully funded scholar- who can guide you in your present work. n

ships to over 100,000 nurses, mobilising over Rs 5.1 crore

worth of funds. We have also raised over Rs. 4.3 crore to [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 65 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

MANISH
RANJAN,
39

CEO & Founder
NanoHealth
Healthcare Tech

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 66 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

NEED FOR
PREVENTIVE
HEALTH

NanoHealth is making clinical

advancements accessible,

reasonable, and available to “Once I realised that the solution is no longer clini-

individuals cal only but more operational in nature and the team’s
operational excellence expertise can help solve this, we

immediately jumped on the opportunity. Even though

the journey has been very tough, the fact that we could

see the number of lives we were saving, kept motivat-

ing us”, said Ranjan.

He added, “We had a vision of proactive, coordi-

I N 2014, with the Hult Prize NanoHealth became nated and continuous healthcare. For NCDs, it needs
the first Indian team to be awarded US$ 1 million to happen over 10-14 years. During Covid, the same
by Bill Clinton and Muhammad Yunus. thing happened in 14 days. Thanks to the team and
NanoHealth has pioneered a proactive and con- their ability to quickly configure the solution to sup-
tinuous care model through the right blend of port the large population of people using the latest
technology. We served more than 1 lakh people and
managed more than 5,000 Covid infected people at

human touch and technology to fight non-com- home successfully.”

municable diseases (NCDs). The organisation’s awareness of preventive health is

In a conversation with BW Healthcare World, still low even though it is way higher compared to pre-

Founder & CEO of NanoHealth, Manish Ranjan said, pandemic days. NanoHealth continues to work to

“I am very proud and humbled to be part of this elite innovate various ways for people to understand the

group. These are the motivations that are needed to importance and need for preventive health in their

continue on the journey of making a difference in the and their family’s life. The target is to manage the

lives of people. Being part of this group just reinforces lives of more than 10 lakh people in the next two years

the feeling that the journey till now and extend their lives by 10-20

was worth every pain and that I can “At NanoHealth years.
always reach out to the community our target is to These days there are several start-
whenever support is required in the
ups in the healthcare sector, there-

journey ahead.” manage the lives fore Ranjan advises the budding
of more than 10 entrepreneurs to have passion for
Continuous healthcare their ventures. He feels, “While pas-
lakh people in the
The demand for healthcare is sion is at the core of entrepreneur-

changing. NCDs are responsible for next two years ship, patience and perseverance are
67 per cent of all deaths worldwide. and extend their another two ingredients which
Even at the peak of the pandemic’s make the entrepreneurship journey

second wave, more people died due lives by 10-20 fun, worthy and successful.”
to heart-related issues rather than years” [email protected]
Covid.

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 67 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 68 MANISHA
KUMAR,
35

COO & Cluster Head
Healthcare Global
Hospital Business
Management

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

DONNING
MANY HATS

Kumar is one of the youngest what sets us apart is our clinical experts and our evi-
women leaders to manage a set dence-based, multidisciplinary treatment approach
of corporate hospitals to deliver which is backed by the latest research and high-end
medical technology,” she adds

excellent financials Major achievements

Kumar has been heading large multispecialty hospi-

T ALKING ABOUT HER journey, Manisha tals for close to a decade. Currently she is heading
Kumar says, “I started working in 2008 three specialty hospitals and three cancer centres for
after completing my engineering degree. Healthcare Global Enterprises in Bangalore having a
After four years of experience I opted for a top line of Rs 400 crores per annum. Her other major
full-time MBA course at the Indian School achievements include:
• Commissioning and launching a 210-bedded
Manipal - Columbia Asia Hospital in Bangalore in

of Business. After completing my MBA, I 2017 and turning it into a profitable organisation

joined Max Healthcare where I worked for within a span of 11 months.

four years. There I was heading the largest flagship • Managing the pandemic as part of the state task

hospital having Rs 730 crores per annum top line. force and leading hospitals to be able to treat 600+

Then I moved to Columbia Asia in Bangalore in 2017 Covid patients per day in-house & outside the hospital.

to set up and launch their largest super specialty hos- • Being awarded the “Karnataka Woman Leader

pital in India. I have joined HCG Oncology last year as Award” in 2020 by World Leadership Congress and

Cluster COO and am heading three of their hospitals being chosen in the “40 under 40” list of Leaders by

and three cancer centres.” MedGate Today magazine in 2021.

The core area of Kumar’s specialisation is hospital • Featuring in Your Story media as the Youngest

business management, both in terms of managing Woman Hospital Leader to manage the pandemic at

clinical work and P&L and financials. She heads hos- scale in 2021;.

pitals with more than 1000 employees, so she has • Winning the FICCI Excellence and India Express

worked as a frontline professional on ground, as well awards (2015-19); and featuring in Women

as a people manager and a catalyst “What sets us apart Entrepreneur and Healthcare mag-
is our clinical experts
for change. “As a hospital chain we and our evidence- azines as Woman Leader of the Year.
are a leader in oncology services On a conclusive note, Kumar
in the country, providing evi-
dence-based, multidisciplinary says, “I am one of the youngest
women leaders to manage a set of

treatment and care plan to our based, multidiscipli- corporate hospitals to deliver excel-
patients. Our effort is to serve nary treatment ap- lent financials along with patient
maximum patients from across care and outcomes. I have success-

the country and assist them with proach which fully turned around Max Hospital
high-end and precise diagnosis is backed by the Saket, set up Manipal - Columbia
and treatment,” she replies when latest research and Asia Hospital from scratch and I am
asked about the USP of her organ- scaling up HCG group of hospitals

isation. “Our competition are vari- high-end medical at present.”
ous other multi-specialty and technology” [email protected]
oncology hospitals. However,

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 69 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 70 MANSI
BANSAL,
39

CEO, India
GeneStore France
Healthcare Tech &
Infrastructure

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“Affordability and
accessibility”

GeneStore enables innovative started developing and manufacturing RTPCR kits to
in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) solutions cater to the need of the same.
that are disruptive as well as Today we hold about 20 per cent market share of the
affordable French market and a large chunk of the Indian market.

We then catered to the demand and supply challenge
of the Indian market by manufacturing the same kits
here and started India’s largest RTPCR lab in Gurgaon
with a capacity of 40,000 tests per day and having a fleet
of 200 samples collection executives on ground.

How does it feel to be a part of this eminent club of

How has GeneStore France disrupted Covid-19 IVD 40under40?

manufacturing and clinical testing? It gives me immense satisfaction today that the work

When the pandemic hit India, we as a nation were obvi- that I have done in the last two decades across different

ously not ready to handle the medical emergency that spectrums of healthcare industry is acknowledged at a

we were facing. 100 per cent Covid supplies were being platform like this.

imported from different countries until we gained mo- It definitely fuels my ambition and I am now proud to

mentum on the manufacturing front of the same. pledge the rest of my working years towards revolution-

When the health units were buying the kits for Rs ary healthcare initiatives.

800 to 1000, GeneStore started manufacturing and

launched RTPCR kits which were manufactured in our How does GeneStore India manage to provide the

Gurgaon unit for just Rs 199 and later when the

testing was done at the rate of Rs 2500 to 4500, “Today we hold about 20 per cent mar-
we launched our testing at the rate of Rs 499 ket share of the French market and a
and gave the price benefit to the end user be it

the government or a private patient. large chunk of the Indian market”
We were the first ones in the country to bring

about this correction in price for RTPCR kits

or testing both. world’s most affordable Covid-19 test kit which was

And now many states follow the same price point as approved by French Ministry of Health and ICMR?

ours, sa ing millions of funds which was dedicated for Historically speaking GeneStore manufacturers its own

testing. RTPCR testing kits and we were able to give the price

benefit to the end customer.

Also we have a heart of an NGO. For us scale (afford-

Whatkeepsyougoing duringacrisis?Doyouseeitas ability and accessibility) is more important than profits.

an opportunity or a challenge?

Definitely as an opportunity. GeneStore was primarily Wheredoyouseeyourfirminthenextcoupleofyears?

into genetic testing, then in the year 2019 our founder IseeitasoneofthelargestdiagnosticfirmsinIndiaoffering

and global CEO bought over a clinical facility in south of world-class testing facility with a vision of being most

France and shifted the headquarters there. affordableandaccessibletomassscalepopulation. n

When the world got hit by the pandemic, we repur-

posed the facility into manufacturing of IVD and hence [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 71 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 72 MEGHNA A.
SINGHANIA,
34

Founder &
Editor-in-Chief
Medical Dialogues
Publishing

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“A roadmap
for success”

Medical Dialogues keeps hands-on work towards the same goal.

trackof research-related,drug- How does it feel to be a part of this prestigious league

related, health policy and medical of 40 under 40?
It is indeed an honour and privilege, for not just me, but

education updates the entire Medical Dialogues team that our efforts are
recognised by such a prestigious magazine. It is indeed

an incentive and provides motivation to work harder.

WhatarethekeystrategieswhichledMedicalDialogues

to become one of the leading health news portals? How were the last two years for your business?

Relevance, quality, and timely news curated for doctors There was medical research producing results on

and healthcare practitioners – at Medical Dialogues, an accelerated basis, and we had the herculean chal-

our editorial keeps hands-on track of the relevant up- lenge to communicate the same on a timely basis and

dates of the medical field whether they are research- in a simplified manner to the practicing physician for

related, drug-related, health policy updates or related their implementation. This challenge however indeed

to medical education. Many of the issues are newswor- had an opportunity in it as well. There was an increase

thy only for the professionals involved in the healthcare in the search of quality medical content, and Medical

sector, thus they are often ignored by the mainstream Dialogues news updates, whether they were inform-

media. At Medical Dialogues, we work to assimilate ing about the latest studies, new medicines, or of any

such information, curate it to cater to the needs of our guideline updates were increasingly referred by medical

readers, along with providing expert comments and practitioners to empower themselves. We saw a surge in

suggestions from the medical experts, so as to meet the the number of healthcare practitioners registering with

informational need of our readers and empower them us and subscribing to our newsletters.

in their day-to-day practice. We

play an instrumental role in bring- “The genesis should be in terms of identify-
ing forth issues concerning and close ing a problem and using the medium of your
to the medical professionals, before

the larger medical and healthcare idea and business to provide a solution”
industry, creating mass awareness

about them, through prompt report-

ing and has been known to bring out policy changes What advice would you give to budding entrepre-

for the improvement of the well-being of the medical neurs?

profession. Know your audience and try to fulfill their needs. It is

important that whatever business we begin, the genesis

What’s your roadmap for attaining success? shouldbeintermsofidentifyingaproblematlargeandusing

Meeting the unmet information needs of medical prac- the medium of your idea and business to provide a solution.

titioners – when we started, the concept of Medical Anotherpieceofadviceisthatstartinganewbusinessishard

Journalism was practically non-existent in India. It work, you have to know all the aspects of your business in

has indeed taken us time and a lot of effort to establish order to supervise it. As a budding entrepreneur one should

this particular concept in India and create a space in bepreparedtomulti-taskwhetheritisplanning,operations,

a niche that never existed before! When we started, HR,marketingoranyotheraspectofthebusiness. n

we aimed to provide trusted medical information to

healthcare practitioners and each and every day we [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 73 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM





40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 76 DR MUKESH
PARMAR,
39

CEO,
Docplexus
Medico-Marketing

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

PUSHING
THE
at improved patient outcomes. About how the com-
pany manages to do so, Parmar explains, “In this era of

ENVELOPE internet at your fingertips, CQI with R&D, disappear-
ing geographic borders and a highly informed or
demanding patient in some locations as well as a
remotely situated or under resourced patient in the

others, with unpredictable scenarios like the current

Docplexus is India’s largest pandemic – today, it is an almost non-negotiable
requirement for a responsible clinician to update

online community of over 3.8 themselves on clinical protocols and treatment
options, round-the-clock. Simply put – knowledge is
lakh verified doctors across 99
power. That’s exactly what we strive to do at

specialties and 1600 cities Docplexus.”
“We empower doctors twenty-four seven with spe-

cialty-specific updates – via simple, crisp, relevant and

engaging formats to ensure they make informed

D R UKESH PARMAR BELIEVES that he has choices through just a few minutes every day on our
made consistent efforts and investment of platform, to improve patient outcomes in their prac-
time, toil and innovation right from the tice. Being one of the largest online communities with
beginning as a practicing clinician and sur- over 3,80,000 doctors across 99 specialties and 1600
geon. His medico-marketing and business cities, our doctors connect with their peers on our
platform seamlessly to share updates or seek guidance.
They can browse through insightful and latest news,

leadership experiences across pharma, articles, videos, infographics and webinars that my

medical devices and diagnostics organisa- seasoned (and passionate) Docplexus team creates

tions over many years, prior to Docplexus, helped him every hour. The trust that our active and engaged doc-

solidify his understanding from both sides – the doc- tors’ community has placed in us, is a huge responsi-

tors and the industry – to attempt to bridge the gap. bility,” Parmar further adds.

In an exclusive conversation with BW Healthcare He advises the aspiring entrepreneurs to be pas-

World, Parmar states, “I dare say that it also helped sionate, meticulous, open-minded, enterprising and

that I never shied away from pushing the envelope solutions-oriented. “No matter what idea or cause you

within different healthcare segments including digital, embody, it has a higher probability of making an

leveraging my staunch belief in science – be it medical impact only with great end-to-end execution, a smart

or marketing, ethics, compliance as well as work cross- resource management and vision-based goals. I can’t

functionally with people from emphasise enough on the need for

diverse backgrounds with an open “We empower the right culture and ecosystem
mindset to identify problems and doctors twenty- encompassing people, SOPs and
co-develop creative but effective and objectives. Let there be an underly-

sustainable solutions. But to para- four seven with ing strength of self-belief and a
phrase one of my favourite market- specialty-specific shared motivation with our col-
ing professor’s words – “Simply fol- leagues – the ones that we meet on
updates via crisp,
lowing a roadmap will not guaran- our journey, as well as the ones that

tee you success. However, it may relevant and en- we add to your team. And yes,
reduce your chances of failure. So, gaging formats to please stay humble, collaborative
never give up!” and grounded. Autocracy and tyr-

Docplexus facilitates the medical ensure they make anny are passé,” Parmar states.
fraternity in making better clinical informed choices” [email protected]
decisions in treatment and arriving

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 77 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 78 MUKUL
MAURYA,
35

Director
ProClin Research
Research &
Development

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

“Making R&D
cost-effective”

Tech-driven ProClin Research We have a network of highly reputed and experi-
has developed expertise in the enced scientists who deliver world-class research
healthcare business within a short activities. The team of data scientists helps in risk
span of time identification and mitigation plan for all the studies
that we do. Our goal is to make research and develop-
ment of new drugs, devices, cosmetics and supple-
ments, more affordable in a sustainable
environment.

Howdoesitfeeltobeapartofthisprestigiousleagueof How were the last two years for your business?
40 under 40? The last two years were severely impacted by the
It’s so inspiring. It’s a great recognition of the work we Covid-19 pandemic, as we had limited resources to
do as clinical researchers. There is a lot of hard work, mobilise research activities, however with the support
hours and time away from family that goes into deliv- of the government and dedicated staff, we were able to
ering the types of jobs and projects that we do. Being execute more than 35 clinical studies.
recognised for 40 under 40 reflects our quality work
and great recognition for the entire company and our We are extremely proud that our team has success-
stakeholders. We are proud, and we are grateful to BW fully executed high priority, clinical trials of public
Businessworld for recognising the work that our team interest that include clinical trials on vaccines, antivi-
does. rals, different standards of care, alternative medicines,
supplements etc.

WhatarethegoalsofProClinResearchandhowitdoes Whatkeepsyougoingduringacrisis?Doyouseeitasan

deliver clinical services? opportunity or a challenge?

ProClin Research delivers a level of collaboration and We stay focused, flexible and productive in both

control not possible in a traditional clinical research good and bad times. We have aligned our work pro-

organisation environment. We will constantly work cedures to adapt to all situations. We see crisis as a

towards delivering quality and affordable research to situation to deal with, we try to convert them into

ease and promote research and opportunities.

development. “Our goal is to What advice would you give to
ProClin has evolved in a short make research budding entrepreneurs?

duration and now caters to the

pharmaceutical companies, govern- and development I would say, clear goals, keeping up
ment institutions and academic of new drugs, de- with the market, the right system,
bodies on end to end clinical and ethical practices is the key for

research activities (research involv- vices, cosmetics any business. Budding entrepre-
ing humans) that Includes, medical and supplements, neurs should focus on these points,
writing, site feasibility, startup activ- more affordable in never get demotivated, and most
ities, clinical monitoring, GCP com- importantly keep their team moti-

pliance, audits, pharmacovigilance, a sustainable vated always.
BA BE studies, data management, environment” [email protected]
site management and trainings.

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 79 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 80 DR NAKUL
MAKKAR,
35

Healthcare Solutions
Architect, Ernst &
Young
Wellness

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

BREAKING THE
SHACKLES

Young healthcare leaders will ways of working, so that crisis can be managed in the
always need to keep patient best possible manner, borrowing from similar learn-
ings, elsewhere. This approach also enables us to pre-

wellness at the core of all pare and be future-ready, for relatively unseen chal-
lenges,” he states. He also goes on to say that, “I have

innovations been fortunate to experience this thought process,
first-hand, in my experience at HCL Healthcare and

U PON BEING asked how Dr Nakul Makkar EY. I sincerely believe that cross-sectoral and cross-
felt on receiving the award, he replied say- cultural learnings can be the most effective shields, for
ing, “Privileged, honoured, and yet, hum- managing multiple challenges in Healthcare & Life
bled by this recognition. All the individuals Sciences.”
in this group are doing amazing work in the
A novel innovative approach

When developing a novel innovative approach to

healthcare field, and I have been inspired to chronic condition management, his team explored

‘Stay the Course’ for finding effective solu- and decided to use the behavioural economist theory

tions for the Health & Life Sciences sector.” of Nudge Philosophy for patient behavioural change,

He also feels that as the saying goes, the journey has vis-à-vis the traditional event-based condition man-

just started, and there are miles and ‘miles to go before agement approach. They were able to create an

we sleep’, this recognition does validate the fact that impactful diabetes management programme, with

they are on the right track, and wonderful things can much better patient engagement scores.

be achieved, with focused efforts in the same direction. A slight change in perspective, inspired by a non-

“Although I have chosen the intrapreneurial route of traditional approach can work wonders, thus convert-

contributing to healthcare sector, being grouped with ing a crisis into significant opportunities. There are a

such an elite group of health entrepreneurs, gives me a few things which he feels are very important. Those

pretty good sense of how diverse individuals and are, “Keep your inner child active, and like a child,

thought processes are all aligned towards the singular always demonstrate willingness to explore, keenness

goal of a healthier society,” he states. to learn and openness to ideas. The healthcare sector

Success for him is four things, “Firstly, the belief that has the potential to provide impactful growth for

I have given 101 per cent in every task possible. everyone.” On a conclusive note he says, “In health-

Secondly, confidence that my biggest care, like other sectors, the valua-

critiques (my family, in my case) will “A slight change tions and prized innovations would
be satisfied with my effort. Thirdly, a in perspective, in- always be there. However, what
smile on my end customers’ face makes the healthcare sector differ-

(patients, external clients, internal spired by a non- ent from the others, is the potential
team members) when they recognise traditional ap- to create impactful value in the
the effort. And lastly and most entire ecosystem. Since the entire

importantly, having a fun-filled, proach can work world is moving towards value-
learning experience,” he says. “As a wonders, thus based health systems, all of us as
young leader, it is practically impos- converting a crisis young healthcare leaders will always
sible to predict all potential risks and need to keep patient wellness at the

crises. For optimal mitigation, one into significant core of all our innovations.”
needs to have an open mind to learn opportunities” [email protected]
from other geographies, sectors, and

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 81 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

NEHA WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM
SINHA,
34

CEO & Co-Founder
Epoch Elder Care
Elder Care
Services

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 82

MAKING STRIDES
IN ELDER CARE

Epoch has grown to be an Epoch Elder Care is a board member of Association
industry leader in both elder and of Senior Living India (ASLI). ASLI is a body that rep-
resents, promotes and protects activities and initia-

dementia care and a brand that is tives which help senior citizens and its service provid-
ers. Their vision and mission is to provide holistic, per-
trusted by families
son-centred care that enables elders to have the best

quality of life. “We believe in focussing on the person

N EHA SINHA INTRODUCES herself by stat- as much as the clinical condition. To be one of the
ing, “I am a dementia care specialist, a clini- leading global experts in assisted living and dementia
cal psychologist, and am also trained in palli- care, we ensure high quality care provided by staff
ative care philosophy from Sophiahemmet trained in the best practices of dementia and geriatric
University, Stockholm. My journey started as care, person-centred care that caters to each individu-
al’s preferences, a meaningful life with care that ena-
bles individuals to live their lives to the fullest and dig-

a counsellor at Sanjivini Society for Mental nity at end-of-life care that respects each individual’s

Health. After a stint as Head of Operations end-of-life wishes,” says Sinha.

at Epoch, I took over as CEO in December 2014, aged According to Sinha, her organisation is better than

28 years.” She also adds that the USP of her organisa- other assisted living homes as they provide specialised

tion is expertise in assisted living and dementia care dementia care, managing behavioural and psychiatric

while also specialising in skilled nursing care and pal- conditions with minimal medication and training.

liative care. Epoch is India’s expert in assisted living Exhaustive historical data is captured through thor-

and dementia care. Epoch Elder Care was founded in ough documentation, assessment processes, person-

2012, as a home care provider to meet the growing centred care programmes and long-term case studies

needs for elderly care and services in India. Helmed by are a part of their research and development.

Neha Sinha and Kabir Chadha, Epoch Elder Care Her achievements include, building a profitable,

focussed on companion care, psychological support sustainable, socially responsible elder care business

and home management. Epoch offered services in specialising in dementia, for the ageing population in

Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Pune to over 400 seniors. the future. “Being a clinical psychologist, a dementia

“Over the course of time, our team realised that pro- specialist and having a burning passion for working

viding home care was not enough. Many seniors were for the elderly, I am committed to making a difference

in need of constant care and super- in the field of elder care in this coun-

vision, and several had no local fam- “With Epoch, I aim try.
ily support. In 2014, we decided to to create access With Epoch Assisted Living, I aim
change our model and switch to res- to create access to excellent assisted

idential care and thus, Epoch to excellent living homes in India, something
assisted living came to life. Epoch assisted living which is much-needed but lacking
Elder Care now has more than 10 in this country. The key driver for

years of relevant experience in homes in India, me is ensuring access to high quality
India. In a short span of time, Epoch something which elder care services/homes, aware-
has grown to be an industry leader is much-needed ness about elder rights and promot-
in both elder and dementia care and ing healthy and active ageing,” she

a brand that is trusted by families but lacking in this concludes.
for the care of their loved ones,” country” [email protected]
states Sinha.

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 83 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 84 NILESH
AGGARWAL,
34

CEO at IJCP Group &
Founder, Medtalks
Healthcare Tech

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Communication
Solutions

IJCP have an extensive network we have an extensive network of over 300,000 health-
of over 300,000 healthcare care professionals, and more than 2 million patients
professionals, and over 2 million virtually. The challenges posed by the suspension/slow-
patients virtually down of our physical publications, on-ground events and
traditional communication activities have been offset
by the incredible opportunities and capacity growth
witnessed in the digital sector.

What’s your roadmap for attaining success in your

How does it feel to be a part of the prestigious league of sector?

40 under 40? Our first and foremost priority is to ensure that the pa-

It is always a great honour and privilege to be recog- tients benefit from our efforts, and we are striving to

nised among such an elite league of change-makers. reduce the massive disease burden in the country. To

It gives me a lot of pride and satisfaction to see that the achieve that grand objective, we have adopted a multi-

ground-breaking efforts that my team and I have under- dimensional approach that includes educating doctors

taken over the last decade in the healthcare communica- to achieve greater efficiency and spreading awareness

tions arena have been acknowledged in such a reputed among the patients regarding various diseases/symp-

forum. toms through regular patient education and PR initia-

tives. We have been leveraging the power of video com-

What is the nature and scope of healthcare change- munication in recent years, and have also emphasised

makers on services that are provided by IJCP Group? various other mediums.

IJCP has a holistic range of services that covers the entire

spectrum of communication solutions for the healthcare What advice you would give to the ones new to

industry. These include publications,

brand launches, conferences, CMEs, “Give precedence to the sustainability of
digital marketing services, training the business models over everything else
programmes and communications

services, scientific research, market including funding and valuation”
assessment, observational studies

and need assessment, documentary

films, digital ad films, corporate videos and TV commer- entrepreneurship?

cials. We work with a diversity of global clients across Giveprecedencetothesustainabilityofthebusinessmodels

regions and time zones. overeverythingelseincludingfundingandvaluation.There

is no denying that funding is essential for any business, and

What challenges and opportunities has your busi- itcanaccelerategrowthbyconvertingyearsofstruggleinto

ness faced in the last two years? monthsofsuccess,butwhenitbecomestheobsessionofthe

The last two years were shaped by the pandemic impact, founders, they often lose focus, overspend, and eventually

and some verticals of our operations had to take a body find that the business models are unsustainable in the long

blow while others flourished. For instance, publishing run. The focus has to be on building a healthy business that

which has been one of our biggest strengths, was af- helps generate profit, deliver results, and ensure customer

fected badly during the peak pandemic times. However, satisfaction. n

we also have a significant investment in digital assets

which thrived tremendously in the last two years. Today, [email protected]

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 85 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 86 PIYUSH
JAIN,
37

Co-Founder & CEO
ImpactGuru.com
Crowdfunding
Platform

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

HEALTHCARE
FINANCING
SOLUTIONS campaigns are for patients struggling with rare dis-
eases such as spinal muscular atrophy, Gaucher’s,
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, thalassemia, rare type

of cancers and other social causes, etc,” Jain adds.

ImpactGuru.com is using Jain further states, “The awareness level of medical
crowdfunding among the patients, hospitals, doctors

advanced technologies to is fairly low. The journey from education to persuasion
has been a challenging but fulfilling one. Running a
solve healthcare financing
issues in India startup comes with very different challenges and is full
of learnings. Having our share of highs and lows as any
other business would, what has kept us going and get-

ting stronger each day has been our perseverance, grit

I MPACTGURU.COM MADE its big breakthrough and ability to innovate in the face of adversity.”
with its India Fights SMA (spinal muscular atro- “The strong passion to make a difference in people’s
phy) campaign, India’s biggest medical crowd- lives and persistence to achieve our mission of saving
funding initiative. The platform raised a record- the lives of 1 million patients in the coming decade
breaking $2.1 million each, to cover the cost of the keep us motivated,” he adds. Jain’s slogan for success is
customer obsession. He says, “In order to succeed we
need to create a tremendous amount of value for cus-

world’s expensive medicine, Zolgensma, for four tomers. This means you need to really understand

children diagnosed with a rare disease – spinal their innate problems and solve them better than the

muscular atrophy. entire industry and sometimes even ahead of the cus-

Talking to BW Healthcare World, Piyush Jain, tomers stating explicitly that they have a problem.

Co-founder and CEO, ImpactGuru.com says, “Post my Customer obsession is a key to having exceptional suc-

graduation at Wharton Business School, I pursued my cess in any business endeavour.”

career as an investment banker at JPMorgan in New Jain shares three pieces of advice to budding entre-

York, Hong Kong and London, focussing on M&A in preneurs. “Firstly, success cannot happen automati-

financial institutions and technology sectors. I soon cally and there are no shortcuts – it’s only possible

recognised my interest in utilising my financial skill through hard work, persistence, conscious strategic

sets as a social entrepreneur. I pursued a Master’s choices, sacrifices and being focussed. Secondly, many

degree at Harvard University and co-authored a of us know that being at the right place at the right

research paper at Harvard Business School on new time in startups provides tailwinds. The quality of

ways to finance entrepreneurial ven- thinking and execution should be

tures and learned about the concept “ImpactGuru.com such that we don’t need luck to
of crowdfunding.” has impacted over achieve our goals. Thirdly, we can-
not let fear hold us back as an indi-
“I realised that crowdfunding could

solve many social problems in India 1 million lives with vidual or as an entrepreneur. On the
and worked on a business plan to get its global partners contrary, it also doesn’t mean that
the venture incubated at Harvard we take risk without thinking

Innovation Lab in 2014. Since then, for varied causes through the consequences. It means
ImpactGuru.com has helped over with donations that we have to innovate, experi-
25,000 patients, and impacted over 1 coming in from ment, take calculated risks, learn
million lives with its global partners and avoid repeating the same mis-

for varied causes with donations com- more than 165 takes.”
ing in from more than 165 countries. countries” [email protected]
Some of our ongoing fundraising

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 87 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

PRABHDEEP WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM
SINGH,
33

Founder & CEO
StanPlus
Technologies
Emergency Services

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 88

A ROBUST
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE him that this is a problem worth solving.
He goes on to say that, “At Stanplus, we are con-

stantly looking for faster ways to strengthen this emer-
gency response infrastructure. I believe the aim keeps

us motivated to operate life-saving emergency ser-

StanPlus Technologies aspires vices. Our goal is to organise India’s emergency medi-
cal response (EMR) with the use of technology,

to build a robust ‘First Minute trained personnel, and a multi-city fleet of ambu-
Last Mile’ healthcare movement lances for both critical and non-critical care.” He sees
across the country any crisis as an opportunity to evaluate areas he needs
to work upon, in some ways it strengthens their goal.
Even when they started with StanPlus they were

aware about the challenging areas they need to work

A BOUT BEING in the league of 40 under 40, upon then since the pandemic has given them prob-
Prabhdeep Singh knows that the list recog- lems and they are continuously striving to come up
nises rising entrepreneurs in the field of with solutions to create a robust emergency response.
healthcare and it is an honour for him to be a
part of this exclusive club. “Every such Systemic thinking

StanPlus picks up emergency calls in less than six sec-
onds, gets ambulances on the road in under four min-

opportunity is an assurance for us being on utes and manages to serve 10X demand. “When I say

the right track and it also helps reaffirm our we want to be omnipresent, I know it’s going to be dif-

commitment to deliver India’s fastest emergency ficult but we want to be on the first call the patient or

health services. The last two years have been a chal- his/her family member makes in the event of any

lenge for the healthcare industry and the need for a medical emergency. So, I strongly believe that sys-

robust medical emergency response has come forth,” temic thinking and showing up is supercritical for

says Singh. leaders. No matter what the situation is, exponential

He describes his journey by saying that, “We knew growth or downfall or disaster, you have to show up,”

that clinically there were difficult problems to solve. he states.

That’s why we are building this system with a clinical

mindset and not just looking at logistics. We are build- Awareness, affordability, and access

ing StanPlus Technologies as a Clin-Ops company. We On a conclusive note he feels that, “We wanted to solve

call ourselves the pioneers in private ambulance ser- the classic 3As of Indian healthcare that is, awareness,

vices and believe that it should be easier affordability, and access. There

to dispatch ambulances for patients on “We have already should be no reason why Indians
time. We aspire to build a robust ‘First served 10X have to cry out for ambulances.
Minute Last Mile’ healthcare movement Therefore we are building India’s

across the country. So getting recognised demand during 911 for the healthcare mobility
for our services is an absolute pleasure the second wave response. We have already served
for the team”. 10X demand during the second
of the Covid-19
Singh was studying for his Master’s in pandemic and are wave of Covid-19 and are focusing
Europe in 2016 and his parents were focusing on the on the 8-minute ambulance para-
back in India. He was always worried, if digm which we would like to call
there was an emergency, how would he India’s ‘First Minute, Last Mile’

manage the situation living far away? 8-minute ambu- healthcare model.”
The feeling of helplessness of living at a lance paradigm” [email protected]
distance from his loved ones convinced

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 89 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 90 PRANAV
BAJAJ,
29

Co-Founder
Medulance
Emergency
Services

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

TOWARDS
ACHIEVING
MILESTONES

Medulance started off as an ously working towards reducing the average turna-
round time for the emergency response by strategi-

idea to make the availability and cally placing GPS-enabled ambulances across loca-
tions in tier-1 and tier-2 cities,” he states.
accessibility of ambulances as
He goes on to say, “The last two years have been a

easy as booking a cab rollercoaster ride. The pandemic exposed the existing
loopholes in the healthcare infrastructure, especially

in the paramedical sector. We entered into a public

private partnership with the government of Delhi to

W HEN ASKED about being in the elite operate 100 ambulances for them. We have seen 5X
league of 40 under 40, Pranav Bajaj growth in FY 2019-20 to FY 2020-21. With organisa-
says, “To be in the league of 40 under tions becoming more concerned for the wellbeing of
40 is a milestone both personally and the employees, Medulance catered to the healthcare
professionally. To have our efforts rec- needs of a subscriber base of over 30 lakh employees.
With 85 per cent retention rate, we are now planning
to expand in more cities to save more lives.” The

ognised and appreciated feels great. expansion plans include post-acquisition of 1,000

Being from a non-medical background, paid clients and subscriber base of 1,00,00,000

to venture into the space of healthcare was not an easy employees. Medulance wants to expand both in terms

task. The entire team at Medulance takes this as a rec- of presence and manpower to serve people even in

ognition that will motivate them to keep doing their tier-2 and tier-3 cities with a fleet of 10,000+ aggre-

good work and achieve greater heights.” gated ambulances.

A personal loss of a loved one due to the unavailabil- “Medulance will also build relationships with hospi-

ity of timely assistance is what made him realise the tals across the country to ensure smooth patient

kind of impact that a quick and reliable emergency admission. Partnership with RWAs, corporates, insur-

response service can have in one’s life. Where a reduc- ance companies, corporate tie-ups and collaborations

tion of just one minute in the response time can save to reach a wider dedicated audience in the shortest

up to 1.5 lakh lives every year, they realised that the possible time to build brand recognition and recall is

emergency response in the nation is one of the major plans. We want to

unresponsive, unavailable and unrelia- “A little over four ensure that every individual gets
ble. “That is what motivated us to step access to first-aid communication and
out and bring the much-needed change years in operation, assistance within minutes of reaching

in the paramedical sector. Medulance we take pride in us. Lastly, Medulance will also build
started off as an idea to make the availa- assisting over more first aid rooms and emergency
bility and accessibility of ambulances in infrastructure around the metro cit-

the nation as easy as booking a cab. A 5 lakh lives with ies, focusing on educational institutes,
little over four years in operation, we a fleet of 5,000+ company premises and public facili-
take pride in assisting over 5 lakh lives ambulances, ties like bus stops, railway stations,
with a fleet of 5,000+ technology-ena- airports, malls, stadiums and amuse-

bled ambulances, trained paramedics trained paramed- ment parks,” he concludes.
and drivers. We aim at not only provid- ics and drivers” [email protected]
ing ambulances but are also continu-

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 91 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

DR PRIYANKA
GOYAT, 33

Founder
Rejové Clinique

Orthodontics

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 92 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Multi-speciality
Healthcare Provider

Rejové has become a trusted name a mother, a social worker, but I have always had the
by virtue of its deep understanding determination to move ahead despite the struggle. I
of the services offered by it aim to spread awareness about the importance of oral
hygiene, how critical it is to have a functional occlu-
sion and, most importantly, provide state-of-the-art

solutions across all age groups and different strata of

IN a chat with BW Healthcare, Dr Priyanka Goyat, society. Like every business, the pandemic hit us sig-
an orthodontist talks about how Rejové has become nificantly. The principal challenge was to sustain the
a trusted name in the healthcare industry. infrastructure and operations along with retaining
staff since two out of five clinics had to be shut down.
How does it feel to be a part of this prestigious league But despite all these setbacks we were able to bounce
back with more enthusiasm and a greater commitment

of 40 under 40 list? towards helping people achieve their dream smiles.

Being a part of BW 40 Under 40 is an honour. This Technology played a pivotal role for us during the pan-
award leaves me feeling very humble and emotional and demic as it helped in increasing our overall outreach.

this would not have been possible without the help and The clinic is supported by a Singapore-based firm with

support of my family and loved ones. This award is a tes- an initial investment of $1 million in the first phase.
timony to the growing significance of dental health and The allocated funds are being utilised to drive skin and
orthodontics in our lives today and the hard work that dental care into a tech-driven system where there is ac-

we have put into these projects. Moreover, this award cessibility and availability for patients with an option

will only motivate me to move ahead in this journey with for door-to-door services. Increasingly facial aesthetics
my team that has put in a lot of effort to achieve this suc- is being recognised as one of the factors affecting the

cess, and I am confident that we will

continue to do so in the future. “I aim to spread awareness about the impor-

How has Rejové developed a repu- tance of oral hygiene, how critical it is to
tation for being a credible service
provider in the field of dental, skin have a functional occlusion...”
and hair treatments?

Rejové Clinique is a dream come true. The clinicfamily psychological and social well-being of people.

crossed many milestones to reach where it has and we What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?
have been able to make a name that embodies trust and I firmly believe that to succeed as an entrepreneur, it’s
satisfaction. Being a lady and an entrepreneur had its

own challenges, but I believe in hard work, grit and strong pivotal for us to have a vision. My vision has always been

faith. We are relentless in our pursuit of excellence. Our to serve as many people as possible and to provide our
services are tailored to meet the specific needs of each services to people of all ages and from all parts of the

client. We make sure that these services are delivered pro- country. Also, for me, success has never been the key to

fessionally and transparently, meeting the highest quality happiness; it is actually the opposite of it: happiness is
standards backed by research while being cost-effective. the key to success. If you believe in what you are doing,
you will be successful in one way or the other. So, follow

How were the last two years for your business in your dreams and don’t ever let anyone pull you back from

terms of challenges and opportunities? accomplishing those dreams and aspirations. n
It’s not easy being a healthcare entrepreneur, a wife, By Sneha Patro

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 93 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 94 DR RAJASI
DHARIA, 29

Senior Executive
NM Wadia Institute

Medical Administrator-
Operation & Quality

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Managing a
Hospital with Elan

DrRajasiDhariaisashiningexample aging the overall show with just half the staffing as the

ofayoungmedicspecialisingin staff themselves were testing positive. The pandemic also
taught the healthcare managers some important lessons.

hospitalmanagementasafrontline We learnt the use of technology in every aspect of patient
care to minimise physical contact — telemedicine, e-ICU,
healthworker
digital record keeping are just some examples. We as an
industry also learnt to manage things from remote loca-

tions and got a taste of work from home to some effect.

How does it feel to be a part of this prestigious league The biggest learning was multitasking — by the end of

of 40 under 40? the pandemic, everyone was an expert at sample collec-

Surreal! Every time I feel I have hit a dead-end and feel a tion, reporting, primary care which we shall continue to

little lost, this award shall give me the motivation to steer keep up.

through like my guiding light. Everyone needs that exter-

nal validation once in a while to keep them on track. This What’s your roadmap for success in your sector?

award is just that for me. This is the highest recognition The hospital industry is the core example of a VUCA

I have received so far and hopefully the first of many to world. We need to constantly adapt to research and tech-

come in this professional lifetime nology. I believe in drawing parallels from other high-risk

Choosing a slightly off-beat career path always calls for businesses like aviation and the hospitality industry to

speculation. I was always drawn to understanding the ensure customer delight every single time. It’s my duty

business and the economics of the healthcare set-up, as I and responsibility to enable and empower the doctors,

firmly believed that hospital policies impacted patients’ nurses, technicians fighting at the forefront with all the

quality of care and outcome in equal measure. necessary infrastructure, manpower, technology, and

I want to dedicate this award to my late sister Rupal. medications at justifiable costs within the resource con-

straints. This can only be achieved through constant skill

How is the institute creating a unique identity for upgrading and sharing of knowledge along the way.

itself in cardiac and intensive care “This is to hope that one fine day we can
services?

I have been associated with this or- have an Indian health services officer like an
ganisation for a relatively shorter time IAS or an IPS officer...”
as compared to its legacy of 50 years.

But I still do believe that I have made

a valuable contribution to carrying the legacy forward. What advice would you give budding entrepreneurs?

NMWIC is equipped with dedicated cardiac operation The hospital management has been the submerged por-

theatres, the latest digital catheterisation lab and other tion of the iceberg that no one sees. Any advice to myself

state-of-the-art equipment. The hospital is built on a and young doctors would be to be an intrapreneur within

strong foundation of trust and excellence and prides itself whatever setting you work. Work on yourself which is a

in its adherence to the highest ethical practices by sub- brand of your quality work. May this encourage young

sidising charges across various hospital services for the clinicians like me to this blue ocean which is just as fulfill-

underprivileged members of the society. ing and rewarding. This is to hope that one fine day we can

have an Indian health services officer like an IAS or an

How were the last two years for your business? IPS officer who can skillfully steer the healthcare system

The pandemic has tested the true resilience and strength of the country to healthier heights. n

of the healthcare ecosystem. Basically, it meant man- By Sneha Patro

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 95 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

40 UNDER 40

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 96 DR SAAD
HAFEEZ
USMANI, 37

Physician
Columbia Asia
Hospital, Bangalore

Healthcare

WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

A DOCTOR
AND A
FIGHTER
around were the challenges we faced and even
though it scared us at times. But then we took it as

an opportunity to make the world a better place

Saad competes with self as for mankind and this helped us to cope with the
situation,” says Saad.

he wishes to focus on his skills “I work as a doctor and have to deal with
every day and be better than patients, their concerns and doubts are to be
the last day addressed and hence a positive approach along
with honest conversation is the key to achieving a
satisfactory outcome,” he says.

As a diabetologist, Saad has successfully man-

aged young as well as elderly patients through life-

style modifications, counselling and eventually

P ATIENTS’ WELFARE including making guiding them to manage sugar levels without
the best medical care available to them is medications.
a stated goal at Columbia Asia, now
rechristened Manipal Hospital. Challenges As Opportuities
According to Saad Hafeez Usmani,
Talking about the challenges he faced during the
pandemic, he says, “My dedication and passion

Consultant Physician and Diabetologist towards my work helped me get through this cri-

at Columbia Asia Hospital, Varthur Road, sis. Initially, there was panic all around but then I

Bangalore practicing this philosophy daily is realised it was more of an opportunity to help

essential for making the healthcare system perfect mankind in such testing times. Once we started

going forward. working on our goal, which was to be able to treat

Usmani’s stature as an internal medicine spe- as many humans as possible, there was no looking

cialist as well as the work done by him during the back.”

coronavirus pandemic has won him a place in this Columbia Asia Hospital is one of India’s leading

year’s list of BW Healthcare World 40 under 40 multi-speciality healthcare service providers that

leaders. “It’s an immense honour to be a part of a not just treats patients but has been a centre of

prestigious league of BW 40 under 40. I am grate- people’s hope over the years.

ful and extremely pleased to be a

part of it,” he said. “The workload, ‘Follow Your Path’
uncertainty of
Two Tough Years Saad’s advice for success is: “Just

follow your path, there will be

The last two years have been the new disease, times when you will be uncertain
extremely tough on account of and panic all and question yourself about your
Covid-19 but both Columbia Asia decision but always remember

Hospitals and their doctors around were the why you started it all in the first
including Saad gave a good challenges we place and never let go of your tar-
account of them. Saad served as a faced, but we get. The path may get hazy at
Covid treatment specialist during times but never lose your vision.

the pandemic waves. took them as an At the end of the road, you will
“The workload, uncertainty of opportunity” realise it.”

the new disease, and panic all By Sneha Patro

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 97 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

SATYEN
SANGHAVI, 36

Chief Scientific Officer
& Executive Director
Regrow Biosciences

Stem Cell Therapy

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 98 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

The Cell
Potential

The focus at Regrow Biosciences product pricing is cost effective when compared to
is on identifying the unmet and similar nature products in US and European mar-
difficult to access medical needs kets. However, building a brand does not come with-
out its set of challenges. We required huge capital to
begin with.

Since the sector is niche, doctor and patient edu-

What’s your strategy for making Regrow Biosci- cation as well as awareness was a pivotal challenge.
Over regulation from government given the nascent

ences the world’s largest stem-cell based tissue nature of this sector makes it difficult. Adding to

and organ development facility? the woes is the entry of unapproved stem cell clinics
It’s an encouraging moment for everyone in the field without scientific license.
that science is getting recognised by on platforms

like BW Healthcare World. The focus at Regrow Bio- What’s your roadmap for success in your sector?

sciences is on identifying the unmet and difficult to Given the extensive research we are conducting and
access medical needs and facilities for life threaten- the results we are producing it is necessary for us to

ing and potentially debilitating disease. file for strong intellectual property rights protec-

We are global pioneers of tissue targeted cell ther- tion that covers not just domestic but major foreign
apies. We aim to develop a technology which can markets as well. This is especially needed in nascent
address the need and development issues of different fields like ours where new players will be flocking

products on the platform, as well as geographical the market. We want to build a platform technology

expansion by way of strategic partnership and out where no competitor can enter for another 20 years.
licensing. It is not just patenting what we have already built,

Innovative products will help accelerate the pro- but also adding to our strong foundation. We have

cess from clinic to the market, thus “We aim to develop a technology which can
reaching the end consumer even address the need and development issues of
faster.

How did the lockdown impact different products on the platform”
your business?

The year 2020 received prod-

uct approval for UREGROW®, which is a patient- a strong research and development (R&D) pipeline
specific, biological and regenerative epithelial cell which is producing breakthrough products.
therapy that cures urethral stricture. We further

experienced recognition when our clinical results What advice would you give to people wanting to

were published in the World Journal of Urology. In become an entrepreneur?
2021, we received the OSSGROW® product approv- Entrepreneurs must have an innovative and creative

al, which is again a patient-specific, biological and streak in them. I would advise the new entrepreneur

regenerative bone cell therapy that cures avascular to ideate and innovate, especially in the scientific
necrosis (AVN). This sector has vast potential, as cell field. Another key point to keep in mind is consis-
therapy is a growing sector for unmet medical needs. tency through the ups and downs. At the same time,

There is no cure available for AVN till date, save the one must have a long-term vision and the determina-

technology we are working on. tion to achieve it. n
OSSGROW is the only product available globally,
By Team BW Healthcare

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 99 WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM

Q&A

SAURABH WWW.BWHEALTHCAREWORLD.COM
KOCHHAR, 37

Co-Founder & CEO
Meddo Health

Health Tech

BW HEALTHCAREWORLD AUGUST 2022 100