Dr. Shilpa Desai
Founder C4 Lifestyle & Diagnostic
How do you describe yourself as a women leader in Healthcare & Brief About your journey so far?
The journey from handling a small quality team to being a women leader in the healthcare consulting space takes on a lot of nerves and perseverance. I took many roles in Quality, Administration, Business Strategies, and Operations in my previous career before leading the team at Altido Healthcare Consulting. My journey has been quite fruitful and aspiring. The roles I took at various top-notch hospitals provided me with what it takes to be an overall package to run a consulting company. I have a handful of experience in Quality Assurance, Hospital Commissioning, Business Strategies, Cost Optimization, and discreet hospital Planning. I led a team of doctors, administrators, and marketing during my tenure as Centre Head and second in command operations. There are certainly essential and non-negotiable skills like people management, team management, etc. which I mastered over time. My personality always helped me achieve nothing but the best, especially in my leadership roles.
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
It is an important event that celebrates women's achievements and raises awareness of gender inequality and the ongoing struggle for women's rights. Such celebrations can inspire a lot of young girls and women to pursue their dreams and overcome the obstacles they may face in their personal and professional lives. By highlighting some of these achievements, we can show that everything is possible with determination and hard work.
Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them? Do you think there is more women to come forward in entrepreneurship?
Like most women, I also faced barriers in my career due to gender bias and discrimination and they restricted me in many ways, for instance, lack of access to networking opportunities, gender pay gap, limited opportunities for career advancement, and unconscious biases that can impact promotion decisions. To overcome these, I took several steps, including believing in myself, upgrading my skills and performance, developing a strong professional network, and actively questioning any stereotypes and biases, if faced at the workplace. Moreover, I was always vocal about my experiences and represented them in the right forums, whenever needed.
How do you want to see the healthcare Industry & what do you think about affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare for all?
The Indian healthcare industry has been rapidly evolving over the past few years. The recent pandemic has brought healthcare to the forefront of every discussion. There has been a significant rise in demand for quality healthcare services in India, especially in metropolitan and tier-1 cities. However, it disappoints me when I see limited healthcare access in tier-2 & tier-3 cities due to inadequate infrastructure, inadequate funding, and the high cost of medical treatments and procedures. To make healthcare affordable, accessible, and of high quality for all in India, there needs to be active involvement from both the sectors – Public as well as private. Some of the measures that government can take are- investing in building more hospitals, clinics, and health centers, particularly in rural and underserved areas, expanding health coverage, Investing in technology, and focusing on preventive health.