Pankaj started his career as a Medical Officer in the Indian Army. During his stint with the Army, he was part of two major Operations – Vijay and Parakram. Post his tenure, he moved to New Delhi with the dream of setting up his own hospital. A specialist in anesthesiology and a super-specialist in intervention pain management and spine interventions, he started practising in Delhi. ).
While interacting with various stakeholders, he realised that he was completely unaware of management concepts and best practices. Pankaj always nurtured the desire to start off on his own and this was worrying him. It was then that he decided to supplement his experience and knowledge with good management learning. The next step was to identify the correct programme. His search ended at ISB. “The Advanced Management Programme for Healthcare (AMPH) at ISB was an eye-opener! It was much more than I expected. I had expected to go through just the basics of management but AMPH introduced me to the broader concepts of management. Moreover, its design of delivering courses in four residential modules suited me very well.”
“Attending the programme at ISB was akin to revisiting our young, carefree student days. I fondly remember how we used to complete our assignments late at night and then step out for a cup of coffee. I really miss the ISB campus. It has given me new friends and we are all like a big family now,” he adds.
A big advocate of single-specialty hospitals, Pankaj says, “Single-specialty hospitals help bring a lot of advancements but their cost of running is exceedingly high. AMPH taught me how I could optimise those costs and helped me fill the gaps in my startup. The concepts you learn at ISB will make you think out of the box. After ISB, I have gotten so much clarity that I have started rooting for the introduction of a course on management in MBBS now.”
Brief Bio
Dr (Maj) Pankaj N Surange is a retired army doctor with a bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery and a Masters in Anesthesiology. He is one of the few to be a qualified FIPP (Fellow Interventional Pain Practice) from Budapest, Hungary and is certified in Interventional Spine and Pain from the World Institute of Pain (USA) He is accredited by many Pain Societies, both nationally and internationally. He is Director of IPSC India (Interventional Pain and Spine Centre) and Hon Secretary, ISSP.
(This story is the second of a six-part series curated on the occasion of Doctor’s Day 2020.)