CEO Today Middle East Awards

Tell us about your career prior to becoming the Corporate CEO of American Mission Hospital? I assumed my position as Chief Medical Officer and CEO in 2009, stepping into the legacy of several missionary physicians who served AMH since its humble beginning in 1902. We have continued to expand as per our strategic goals and I became a board member and the Corporate CEO of our AMH Healthcare system in 2018. After my basic medical training from the University of Kerala, I trained as a Paediatrician in London, did my sub-speciality training in Neonatology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and then became a Consultant Neonatologist in the NHS in London. After 5 years at the NHS, I came on a sabbatical to Saudi Aramco and stayed on for 18 years serving in various capacities of leadership -including being the Head of Neonatology and leading Quality Improvement in a complex and large medical organisation. My passion has been in the delivery of high quality of care and understanding the not-for-profit economic model of care delivery. What are the challenges of being a Hospital CEO? Healthcare is a complex and adaptive eco-system that involves people serving people in times of their greatest need. There is a myriad of challenges that have to be simultaneously dealt with, the most important one being patient safety and quality within both the acute and non-acute care setting. Containing costs seem to the most obvious, but there are challenges in hiring and retaining qualified manpower with the required skill sets to deliver the increasing demands of complex patient care and expectations of the future. There are huge social determinants that have to be addressed outside of healthcare that impact how healthcare is utilised. The digital transformation required in building smart hospitals and healthcare systems require investments in both infrastructure and patient behaviour modifications. There is an exponential growth in technology that will impact the healthcare industry through AI, 3D printing, robotics and precision medicine. The Internet of Medical Things will define the new eco-system of patient care delivery and experience. What is the most rewarding part about it? The most rewarding part of my job has been the ability to partake in the rapid transformation of the organisation to where it is today. Without the dedication and growth of our staff, it would have been impossible tomeet andexceedtheexpectation of our patients. We have been redesigning our healthcare delivery to enhance patient experience and meet and exceed their expectations whilst maintaining affordability and accessibility. We are part of the community of Bahrain – our mission is to create value for the people of Bahrain, especially for the most vulnerable ones What are some of the defining characteristics that have helped AMH to maintain its leading role as a premier healthcare provider in Bahrain? We have built on a legacy of serving people as a not-for-profit provider of healthcare for nearly 120 years. -Creating social value through our deep- rooted community involvement and delivering care regardless of ability to pay and to provide this 33 CEO TODAY MIDDLE EAST AWARDS 2020 Healthcare