HEALTHCARE looking at countries like Myanmar and Cambodia , and if a reasonably good opportunity comes in those regions , we will consider them as well . We will definitely want to look at other big hospitals , may it be , brownfield or greenfield .”
Of course , expanding and moving from building to building in the healthcare industry is not necessarily smooth sailing . Rekhi cities a recent project in which a Manipal hospital in Malaysia needed to move into a larger building , and due to it being an active facility having patients , the move itself had to be as quick as possible . The answer ? Limit the shift itself to a 24-hour slot .
“ Within 24 hours we had to shut down and re-open in a new hospital ,” Rekhi states . “ There were some patients who fell asleep in one hospital and woke up in the new facilities . To move everything , we have to be completely prepared so than we didn ’ t have any issue with operations . All patients were checked every step of the way and the whole transition was done with surgical precision .”
Rekhi and his team moved everything in new hospital ward by ward and department by department and nothing which was required by staff was left behind because every single member of staff was helping . “ We had to move patients in a way that meant we didn ’ t put anyone at risk . All the specifications , all the protocols were gone through twice thrice and communication with staff and clients had to be perfect to ensure full patient safety .”
Every piece of equipment in every department of the hospital was itemised and listed 15 days prior to moving , and the IT systems Manipal uses were being tested at the new facility a month ahead of the shifting .
“ We made sure that we had new hospital ready for 70 patients there in advance ,” says Rekhi . “ We would be almost doubling capacity but had tested what we needed to begin with . On the day we opened , I can ’ t say there were no hiccups , but there were much less than there would have been . It was manageable move with no patient safety issues .”
Despite moving with patients , each
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