In India’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, one critical gap has often been overlooked—the lack of management expertise in healthcare institutions. Recognizing this, the Centre for Healthcare (CFH) at IIM Udaipur was established to bridge the divide between medical practice and management principles.
The Centre for Healthcare brings together academicians, public health experts, healthcare practitioners, and business strategists to create real-world solutions for healthcare challenges, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The goal is to apply business and management insights to improve the efficiency, accessibility, and quality of healthcare services.
Our team had an exclusive interview with Professor Prakash Satyavageeswaran, co-chair of the Center for Healthcare and faculty at IIM Udaipur, to understand how management principles can revolutionize India’s healthcare system.
Why Was the Centre for Healthcare Established?
Q: What inspired the creation of this Centre for Healthcare at IIM Udaipur?
Prof. Prakash: “The application of management principles in healthcare is quite limited. A doctor who has spent years earning an MBBS or even an MD rarely receives any management training. Yet, doctors manage primary health centers, clinics, and even hospitals without formal education in finance, operations, or strategic decision-making. This disparity is a critical gap.”
“Our work at Centre for Healthcare aims to address this gap by applying business strategies, marketing insights, and operational efficiencies to improve healthcare systems. We focus on making healthcare not just technically sound but also financially viable, efficiently managed, and strategically optimized.”
How Management Principles Improve Healthcare
Q: Can you give an example of management principles improving healthcare outcomes?
Prof. Prakash:
A key area of business application in healthcare is strategic location planning.
“When large retail chains like Reliance or D-Mart open a store, they carefully analyze demographics, accessibility, and foot traffic before choosing a location. But government-run primary health centers (PHCs) and hospitals are often set up without similar strategic planning.”
“At Centre for Healthcare, we partnered with local authorities and used data-driven optimization techniques to determine the best locations for new healthcare centers. We applied logistics and supply chain principles to minimize patient travel time while ensuring maximum coverage.”
“This kind of scientific, data-backed decision-making can transform healthcare access, ensuring facilities are placed where they are most needed.”
Q: Why don’t governments or private hospitals hire more MBA graduates for healthcare management?
Prof. Prakash:
“Large corporate hospitals like Apollo and Fortis do hire MBAs for business and administrative roles, but such recruitment is limited to high-end private hospitals. Smaller standalone hospitals, especially in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, often don’t recognize the value of management professionals.”
“In the public sector, the entire system—from primary health centers to district hospitals—is managed by doctors, many of whom have no formal training in administration. Some doctors become successful administrators by chance, but there is no structured HR function for skill development, job descriptions, or performance tracking.”
“We believe more conversations with government stakeholders are needed to highlight the impact of management in healthcare.”
Current Projects & Research at Centre for Healthcare
The Centre for Healthcare at IIM Udaipur is actively engaged in real-world projects that apply management insights to public health challenges.
1. Cervical Cancer Screening Initiative
- Problem: India has a very low cervical cancer screening rate (2%), despite WHO recommending 70%.
- Solution: Behavioral research on stigma-free awareness messaging.
- Impact: The campaign saw a significant increase in screening rates.
2. Healthcare Facility Location Optimization
- Problem: Primary Health Centers (PHCs) aren’t always located based on need, leading to poor access.
- Solution: Data-driven location planning using retail-style footfall and accessibility analysis.
- Impact: Recommendations for optimized PHC placement in multiple districts.
3. Supply Chain & Medicine Availability Optimization
- Problem: Many government hospitals run out of essential medicines due to poor inventory tracking.
- Solution: Stock monitoring and predictive supply chain modeling.
- Impact: Prevented stockouts and medication shortages in trial regions.
Future Goals: Expanding Management in Healthcare Policy
Q: What are the next steps for CFH?
Prof. Prakash:
“We want to have a greater presence in national healthcare policy discussions. Whether it’s NITI Aayog’s health policies or state-level decision-making, management professionals should be actively involved.”
“Currently, management voices are missing in public health discussions. Our goal is to bring our expertise into these policy spaces, helping create data-driven, operationally efficient solutions for India’s healthcare challenges.”
Q: Should other IIMs and B-schools establish healthcare-focused management centers?
Prof. Prakash:
“Absolutely. IIM Ahmedabad has a healthcare center, and ISB has the Max Institute of Healthcare Management. But the need is far greater.”
“Healthcare touches every citizen, and efficient management can dramatically improve patient outcomes. If more B-schools establish dedicated healthcare centers, we could see more research, better hospital administration, and impactful public health campaigns.”
“Cost is not a major barrier—it’s about finding faculty and students passionate about healthcare.”
Final Thoughts
The Centre for Healthcare (CFH) at IIM Udaipur is reshaping healthcare through management principles. From optimizing hospital locations to improving cancer screening campaigns, the center applies data, behavioral insights, and strategic decision-making to real-world healthcare challenges.
Key Takeaways:
✔ Doctors receive no formal management training but are expected to run hospitals.
✔ Marketing & behavioral science can improve public health messaging (e.g., vaccine uptake, cancer screening).
✔ Strategic planning can optimize healthcare facility locations & medicine supply chains.
✔ Government & private hospitals must recognize the role of management professionals in healthcare.
✔ CFH aims to influence national healthcare policies by bringing management expertise into decision-making.
As India moves toward a more data-driven and efficient healthcare system, initiatives like Centre for Healthcare at IIM Udaipur will play a critical role in ensuring better access, stronger institutions, and improved health outcomes.
