Sandeepp Saxena
Sri Parmanand Deepchand Hinduja was appalled at the health conditions that existed in India after the Partition. He wanted to create an institution, which could provide ‘quality healthcare for all’ so that no Indian would have to travel abroad for quality treatment. He started a small outdoor clinic in 1951, which has today grown to become one of the leading and most reputed multi-speciality tertiary care hospitals in the country, the PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre.
The main goal was to blend technology with human skills and ingenuity by providing state-of-the-art equipment, assembling a team of talented and committed professionals and creating an atmosphere comparable to what exists in foreign countries to dispense quality healthcare. The Hinduja brothers entered into a collaborative arrangement with the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, the oldest and largest of the teaching hospitals associated with the Harvard Medical School for assistance in planning, equipping and staffing the new complex.
The institution expanded and evolved to start In-patient services and gradually added more services to become a 402-bed, ultra-modern tertiary care hospital at Mahim in 1985 The hospital was the first to conceptualise and pioneer the model of ‘full-time hospital-based consultants” in Mumbai and is amongst the first few hospitals to have been accredited and certified by NABH, CAP, HACCP and ISO.
In the year 2013, the Hinduja Group set up another 100-bed hosptial at Khar to cater to the growing needs for world-class health services. In 2021, the two hospitals, at Mahim and Khar, were merged to become one of the Mumbai’s largest not-for-profit healthcare providers.
The healthcare services at PD Hinduja Hospital range from investigation and diagnostics to therapy, surgery and post-operative care in more than 46 specialties. The hospital has provided ethical, value-based quality medical care to millions of patients, since inception, a testimony to the excellent clinical outcomes of the hospital.
Every facility at the hospital has always had a ‘human touch’, a sense of deep empathy towards the patients, which is critical to the process of healing. The hospital was also one of the pioneers in the healthcare space to launch Care@Home, Short Stay Service and Drug and Poison Centre. Tele/video consultation facility is offered for patients which enables video or phone appointments between the doctor and patient at the comfort of home.
Today PD Hinduja Hospital is an acknowledged centre of medical excellence, applying contemporary medical protocols and management practices to maintain international standards. Its highly talented medical professionals, exceptional medical practices and a deep commitment to ethics and values have made it a preferred destination and a major referral center for tertiary care treatment.
Three pillars
Since inception, PD Hinduja Hospital recognised the need to develop three pillars of healthcare i.e. clinical practise, academics and research. Some of the renowned doctors working at the hospital today have emerged from the academics herein. The hospital runs DNB courses in 26 specialties; M.Sc. and PhD programmes in research; and a nursing college that offers B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD. programmes. The PD Hinduja College of Nursing is recognised among the top 10 nursing colleges in India and this year it completed 40 years. The hospital also offers full-time and part-time, allied health sciences courses to develop trained and certified workforce for various hospital functions like OT, Lab, AKD to name a few.
The Research Department is recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology. It is actively involved in conducting basic research, clinical research and drug trials. The hospital is a major centre for clinical trials related to Oncology, Gastroenterology, Paediatrics, Nuclear Medicine, Nephrology, Neurology, Endocrinology, Orthopaedics, Cardiology; basic research focusing on Genomics, Proteomics, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Haematology, Pathology, In Vitro Fertilisation, Antimicrobial Resistance, Regenerative Medicine and Infectious Diseases including Tuberculosis and more. The research department has collaborated with several national and international institutions over the years. It has also entered into an arrangement with The Division of AIDS (NIAID, NIH), USA to establish a centre of excellence for infectious disease research in India.
The healthcare services at PD Hinduja Hospital range from investigation and diagnostics to therapy, surgery and postoperative care in more than 46 specialtiesTechnology focus
The hospital has been at the forefront of adopting latest technology to deliver better medical care. It was the first hospital in India to have the fully integrated robotic system with DaVinci Xi Robot, the most advanced Lexsell Gamma Knife Perfexion, Digital Broadband MRI with ambient themes, True beam Linear Accelerator, and the first in western India to introduce NAT Blood Testing facility. The hospital also has the latest PET CT and SPECT CT with Gamma Camera, for accurate detection of cancer and other diseases, state-of-the-art Guided Air Flow OT’s, advanced Combo Cath Lab and a the most advanced Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
The hospital also uses effectively technology for patient convenience offering online services like booking or appointments, payments, viewing reports etc.
Pandemic times
As the unprecedented Covid crisis hit the world in 2020, PD Hinduja Hospital took a series of swift actions to provided treatment to both Covid and non-Covid patients, incorporating appropriate safety protocols for both patients and staff. A comprehensive Covid care facility was set up in a separate hospital building, away from the main building treating non-Covid patients. The hospital also launched CovidCare@Home, a comprehensive homecare service for Covid positive patients.
Philanthropy and charity
The hospital founder PD Hinduja believed that health and education are the birthright of all. In line with this philosophy and one of his guiding principles ‘work to give’, the hospital has been providing charitable treatment to the poor and needy since inception. It provides free or concessional treatment to the needy patients, who cannot afford it. The extent of concession is based on the socio-economic status of the patient. Over the last decade, more than lakh patients have benefited from the charitable treatment provided by the hospital.
Rural health
The Rural Health Programme was started in the year 2012 and provides free healthcare services to the poorest of communities in the tribal areas of Maharashtra. The medical services are provided through 12 mobile health units, which work in a hub-and-spoke format to reach the remotest of villages. The services provided under this programme include primary healthcare and medicines, physiotherapy treatment, women’s health, antenatal and postnatal care, Anganwadi programme, school health programme, ophthalmic consultations and treatments, and provision of hygiene and sanitation facilities. The Hinduja Hospital’s Serve with Passion – Rural Health Programme recently won the second CSR Health Impact Award in 2018 and was selected by the Health ministry of Maharashtra to conduct joint weekly OPDs in the primary health centres (PHC).
The journey which commenced in 1951 is moving forward with greater determination and momentum, all the while keeping the identified philosophy and goals in view. The quest for excellence is never-ending for this “Temple of Modern Health Care”.
Accreditations & Awards
In 2006, PD Hinduja Hospital became the first hospital to have a College of American Pathologist (CAP) accredited laboratory, the first lab in South Asia to be CAPaccredited. The lab also is the Centre of Excellence (COE) for Clinical Flow Cytometry and also has the NABL certification. In 2009, it was one of the first hospitals to have NABH accreditation in Mumbai. In 2011, it was awarded the ISO 27001 Certification for Information Security Management Systems. The OTs of the hospital have received Green Operation Theatre certification from Bureau Veritas.
The hospital was also the first to be conferred with the Clean and Green Hospital Platinum Award by Bureau Veritas in 2017. It has ISO 22000 for Food Safety.
For its contribution to quality healthcare delivery, the hospital has been bestowed with nest multi-speciality hospital awards by different industry bodies. In 2009, it became the first hospital to win the IMC Ramakrishna Bajaj Award for Quality. The hospital has been recognised as the first in the western region and the sixth amongst all hospitals in India by the Newsweek Best Hospitals Survey 2021 and 2020. It has been awarded as the best multi-speciality hospital by industry bodies like the Ficci and the CII at number of occasions in various categories.
Apart from winning awards in medical and operational excellence categories, it has won the ‘Great Place to Work’ in the healthcare sector. In April 2022, the hospital was awarded as Best Patient Friendly Hospital by the Association of Healthcare Providers of India.
