Hospitals complement and amplify the effectiveness of many other parts of the health system, providing continuous availability of services for acute and complex conditions. They concentrate scarce resources within well-planned referral networks to respond efficiently to population health needs. Hospitals are also an essential part of health system development. Currently, external pressures, health systems shortcomings, and hospital sector deficiencies are driving a new vision for hospitals in many parts of the world.
Hospitals matter to people and often mark central points in their lives. They matter to health systems by being instrumental for care coordination and integration. They often provide a setting for the education of doctors, nurses, and other health-care professionals and are a critical base for clinical research.
Bangalore Baptist Hospital is one of the trailblazers in this field. ‘Quality with Compassion’ embodies Bangalore Baptist Hospital. It is a not-for-profit institution with a strong vision to serve all people without discrimination of caste, color, or creed in the spirit of Jesus Christ.
Below are the highlights of the BBH’s interview with Insights Success:
Enlighten us with the journey of your hospital so far.
The Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH) was formally opened on 15th January 1973 as an 80-bed general hospital. Presently BBH is governed by Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. Baptist Hospital has evolved into a 340-bed tertiary care facility that is renowned for a commitment to quality with compassion. Baptist Hospital is the first mission hospital in the country to have met national quality standards (NABH and NABL) of excellence in healthcare.
With an experienced, highly qualified team of 120 doctors (a majority of these are full-time doctors) and a passionate workforce of more than 1,400 staff, BBH is committed to providing high-quality care using current novel technologies and medical advances. Post Graduate residency programs (Diplomate of National Board and Fellowship courses) in a broad range of 13 different specialties and multiple B.Sc., and Diploma programs (in Nursing and Allied Health Sciences under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science) are conducted. BBH is also a recipient of many awards and accolades.
Give a detailed summary of the key personality(s) life before and after their entry into the gynecology and maternity services space.
Since its inception, BBH has given much importance to maternal health and obstetrics care. BBH has the maximum number of deliveries compared to any other private hospitals in the state of Karnataka with an exception to the government hospitals. The approximate number of deliveries in a year is 3055.
Dr. Naveen Thomas is the Director and CEO at Bangalore Baptist Hospital. Being a one-stop multi-specialty centre for women, our team of highly experienced specialists treat all obstetric and gynecological health issues from pre-pubescence to menopause. The team works in coordination with super-specialty services such as Foetal Medicine, Endocrinology, Oncology, and Reproductive Medicine to provide holistic care for women.
Kindly talk about different care packages and services offered by your maternity hospital.
Antenatal clinics – low and high-risk labour rooms and Birthing Suites, Foetal Medicine Clinic, Painless labour (epidural analgesia) Post-partum clinic, Antenatal physiotherapy, Diet counseling, Genetic counseling, Diabetic clinic, General gynecology, Cancer screening, Gynaec cancer surgery – minimal access (laparoscopy), Well Women clinic/menopause clinic, Gynecological surgeries for fibroid, prolapse, endometriosis, ovarian tumors, etc., Laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgeries, Contraception: Counseling, oral, injectable and intrauterine devices, tubectomy, Adolescent reproductive health, Pre conceptional counseling, and Lactation counseling. BBH has a very large number of ‘painless labour’ (epidural analgesia for any hospital in the state).
What is the vision and mission of your maternity hospital?
To medically support the disadvantaged mothers and children to improve their quality of life. To provide both compassionate holistic care and high teach care to all with utmost professional excellence.
The community health department serves as the hospital’s outreach arm with exemplary services to improve health and is serving approximately 1 million people in the rural areas and 1 million people in twelve urban slums, one of the largest slums being D J Halli.
BBH aims to ensure every woman who comes to the hospital gets the best quality treatment at an affordable cost.
What kind of challenges has your maternity hospital and its team faced at the time of its inception?
The demand for care was more than what could be provided. A large number of patients meant that the medical facilities had to be upgraded rapidly.
How the technological advancements and innovation in the healthcare space has influenced your maternity hospital’s daily operations?
BBH is one of the fewer institutions in the country which has a maximum number of labour epidural (painless deliveries).
The BBH RMU team consists of qualified doctors, full-time in-house embryologists at the IVF lab, and well-trained nursing staff. The team constantly strives to ensure that your journey to parenthood is easy, seamless, and at an affordable cost. Taking you closer to your dreams of parenthood.
Recently Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA, gene therapy is being offered for the first time in South India; and the second such center in India. (after AIIMS)
What are your strategically driven plans to be implemented to enhance the efficiencies of your maternity hospital in the upcoming year?
The new mother and child centre (Women’s and Children’s Healthcare and Research Centre) is under the final stages of construction. The new centre is expected to be ready by June this year.
What does the future look like for your maternity hospital in terms of growth and expansion?
Women and Children require highly specialized medical and surgical attention. A dedicated facility called Women’s and Children’s Healthcare and Research Center (WCHRC) is getting ready.
We all know the Covid-19 pandemic has created a lot of workload for caregivers and ancillary healthcare service providers. But what problems your maternity hospital has faced specifically in this ongoing pandemic?
Independent isolation and labour and delivery room had to be started for covid positive obstetric and pregnant ladies. Women’s empowerment has been a focus of the institution.
In your opinion, how telemedicine and remote healthcare services are creating an impact in the modern maternity care system?
The community health department initiated the e-Mobile health clinics in all existing mobile clinics villages. The underprivileged and elderly can talk one to one with the doctors on mobile screen and get the appropriate medication with a printed report in their village/hometown. Most of the village folk are happy with the e-consultation.
Additional significant features were created apart from the regular schedule which includes eConsultation, ‘Wings of Care’ is a program offering home care package for COVID positive patients with mild symptoms, Covid Vitals Monitoring, Video calling are some of the valuable features that BBH has been able to roll out. An in-house home sample collection initiative was introduced, which collects COVID samples from the Patients’ homes and offices ensuring the patient does not have to leave his home unless it is necessary.
