POLEMIC ANGLE

By:- Priyanka Nagdeo, MHA (HO)

‘POLES APART’.....aren’t most people like that? Err..just to ease the raised eyebrows, I’d rather substitute that with ..”Aren’t most opinions like that”..well it is a diplomatic world afterall, and to be able to express and be firm on that opinion is indeed a tough job.

Like the two opposite poles existing in a magnetic field, most often than not , people’s perceptions and beliefs also differ. Nevertheless, we continue analysing, scrutinising each other’s view points ,and present ours, ardent on the fact that the only socially acceptable ‘Angle’[AHEM!] to look at this world at is the one that ‘I’carry- Acute, Right or Obtuse who cares...and hold on ,we are not even close to the Pythagoras therom yet.;)...this argument tossed with salt, pepper and the works ,is a part of the discussions around the brewing camardrie at almost all corners at TISS...be it the canteen, the glorious dinner tables, the not so quiet library corners, or the all time favourite tapri. But then one can’t deny the fact that it is these very discussions coupled with the cutting chai, which form the champagne [yeah!!!] for the souls here.The thinking brains of the ingenous Tissians, armed with less intellect and more common sense, keep pondering, amidst the exploration of the facts.......

Again, it is only human to counterpoint, and well literally so,hence Team Clairvoyance at SHSS, decided to provide this very basic instinct a platform. Along with all other wonderful activities that are scheduled to take place at CLAIRVOYANCE this December , we also have a debate competition coming up. Aptly tagged ‘POLEMIC’ the topic for this competition is “STATE OF HEALTHCARE IN INDIA:WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?”:THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS OR THE SEEKERS. The team chose this as the topic because it came across as a favourite topic doing the rounds for discussions in various groups. Surprisingly, these groups were not only those of the health school students, but, even of our friends at the other schools at TISS. In health care fixing responsibility has always been ambiguous, much like the proverbial”CHICKEN AND THE EGG”Story......................”.

Who is responsible for ensuring quality level healthcare.?The Providers including the government and the healthcare industry who claim of enough efforts on their part or the seekers who are yet to find enough reasons to appreciate these efforts. Health is a priviledge, a right, everyone is entitled to, alas, the provision of the means to this right as well as the use of these very means in a prudent way so as to attain maximum benefit out of the existing set up is still a evident mismatch. Well ,time to ponder and brainstorm, we thought, and so came up this subject to be this year’s topic for the debate .The debate will be held in two rounds :the preliminary round, comprising of a write-up, and the final open house arguement, scheduled on the 19th of December ,the first day of Clairvoyance 2009.There are lots of attractive prizes to be won as well.

As a part of the glorious clan of the SHSS faculty and students, dedicated to the betterment,of health in the country,this,we believe will be another step towards unlocking the key to many solutions or atleast provision of a thinking ground,through the most enjoyable indulgences of the human race:THE WAR OF WORDS-A DEBATE.So, nomatter what one’s “angle”is,there is always scope for a new “therom” folks[with mutual consensus ofcourse].”IAM bad at GEOMETRY”did someone say?This is about physics anyways...:P
Till we ponder more....Keep the angle right...:)

To the aspirants...scope of MHA (Health)

The previous blog on scope of MHA (Hospital) gives a very good overview of what lies in store for MHA graduates. Going on to MHA (Health) first let me clarify that expect for hospitals almost all openings are there for MHA (Health) as well. However MHA (Health) concentrates on the larger issues of health sector and less on the corporate aspect of it.

Apart from the openings listed before ( for hospital Administration) as health managers there are openings in various NGOs and programs like NACO, NRHM etc. Also there are international openings in UN organisations like WHO and UN funded agencies. However, for such organisations, a strong CV in terms of work ex, research experience, internships and projects plays a major role.

Research project which is an essential part of MHA (Health) creates research level oppurtunities in various areas like health financing, epidemiology, human resource in health care etc.

In the end I would like to add that apart from career oppurtunities the course offers you, your interest should be a major factor in deciding which stream you finally choose

Wish you all, best of luck for the written exam results and forthcoming rounds of GD/PI.

Hi friends..!! ,
Get ready for a morning of VVIA...(Very Vital Information Assimilation)....We are having a seminar by Mr.Ratan Jalan , Founder and principal consultant of MEDIUM , a healthcare consulting firm . Mr. Ratan Jalan founded Medium Healthcare Consulting in 2009 when he realised the need for bold and innovative solutions in the Indian healthcare sector.

For the last eight years, Ratan was the CEO of Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited, part of the Apollo Hospitals Group. He created some of the most successful and innovative healthcare formats in the country such as a nationwide network of The Apollo Clinic and The Cradle, South Asia’s first boutique birthing centres.

Mr. Jalan has very impressive credentials (http://www.med-ium.com/our_team.htm ) .
An evening across a table with a wise man is worth a year's study of books , is an old chinese (or japanese or thai or vietnamese or korean ) saying .

Jalan sir will be speaking on
For MHA,MPH -Year II : "Gearing up for career opportunities in healthcare" on Friday from 5:30PM to 7:30PM and

For MHA,MPH-Year I : "What you did not know about brand positioning and advertising"on Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Should be very interesting . Am sure everyone will make the most of this opportunity ...

To, The Aspirants... Scope of MHA (Hospital Administration)

Many of my friends, acquaintances and aspirants often ask me about the scope of MHA and the role that MHAs are playing in the healthcare industry in India today. No comprehensive resources are yet available on the net regarding this subject where an Indian MHA aspirant can have this information. The aim of this post is to fill this deficiency.

In today's times, Healthcare industry has been in a state of flux faster than ever. We are seeing a rising trend towards alternative health models and new healthcare startups everday which are trying to fill the niche areas in healthcare delivery system. A MHA degree provides knowledge and competencies needed to understand the changing system and capacity to act as a driving force to bring about the change.

The acronym MHA is used for both Master of Health Administration(MHA-HE) and Master Of Hospital Administration(MHA-HO). I will be concentrating on Master Of Hospital Administration. You will be updated about MHA-HE and MPH in upcoming posts.

Hospital administration is concerned with planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating, controlling and evaluating health services for the community to provide maximum patient care of superior quality at low cost so as to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Apart from hospitals MHA graduates also find employment opportunities in Consultancies, Insurance companies, IT companies, TPAs(Third Party Administrators), KPOs(Knowledge Process Outsourcing), Healthcare Branding Marketing and Advertising firms(HBM&A), Medical Equipment companies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies

Examples of some job profiles are:

Hospitals
Medical Superintendent
Deputy Director/Director
Chief Executive Officer
Manager / deputy manager - hospital administration
Manager/Asst Manager - Clinical Quality
Assistant Manager - Hospital Information Systems Implementation
Assistant Manager-International Marketing

IT
Domain Consultant/Senior Consultant/Business Analyst
Healthcare Product Manager
Functional Analyst- HIS(Health Information Systems) Implementation

Consultancies
Consultant - Healthcare
Consultant - Hospital Information Systems Implementation.
Consultant- Electronic Medical Records

Insurance
Claims Manager
Insurance Coordinator

HBM&A
Brand Manager

Some of the websites you can check to get further understanding of what happens on the non-clinical side of the healthcare sector are listed under the heading "Blogs Of Note" on this page.

So at the end I would like to wish all the aspirants best of luck for the TISS common entrance exam next week and I hope that this information helps in informed decision making to those who are planning a career in this domain.

We will be very happy to answer any queries.

Effective Media Intervention Competition on Tobacco Control

Health Communication and Education is an effective means of bringing about changes in behaviors and lifestyles that are conducive to good health. The power of various forms of media in communicating thoughts, ideas and knowledge is well known in all walks of life. Media campaigns to promote healthy lifestyle can serve as keys for motivating and bringing about behavior change in an individual, and subsequently the society.

In spite of the vast scope of the media in influencing the minds of millions, it is not used effectively to create awareness about contemporary health issues. In view of this, the School of Health System Studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences introduces “From Ideas to EXPRESSIONS for Health” – a competition on presenting effective media interventions for health related information dissemination and education.

The competition is part of “Clairvoyance 09” and is open to participation from students of varied streams of knowledge such as Public Health, Media and Cultural Studies and all other institutions which study media and communication as part their curriculum. The competition is an attempt to generate innovative and influential media messages, which shall be utilized by funding agencies, academicians, public health service providers and media personnel.

Theme for this year:

““Effective Media Interventions for Tobacco Control”

For complete detials, please visit http://shss.tiss.edu/index_files/Expressions.htm