KRITAJNA: The Leadership Development Programme for Doctors Concludes at IIM Indore

100 selected doctors attended the 70-hour free-of-cost online training sessions

Expenses of the entire programme were covered by IIM Indore

IIM Indore’s notional contribution of Rs. 1.5 Crore, biggest ISR contribution (notional) amongst all the educational institutions so far

KRITAJNA, the Leadership Development Programme for Doctors in Frontline Services concluded on November 07, 2021. The valedictory function took place in the presence of Prof. Himanshu Rai, Director, IIM Indore; Prof. Saumya Ranjan Dash, Dean-Programmes; Prof. Subin Sudhir, Chair-Executive Education and all the 100 doctors in hybrid mode. This unique programme which started on July 31^, 2021, is an initiative by IIM Indore to express its gratitude to the frontline doctors for their dedicated, altruistic, and fervent services during the COVID19 pandemic. The 70-hour online training programme offered to the 100 selected doctors was organized as a part of Institutional Social Responsibility of IIM Indore, and hence was completely free, and the entire cost was covered by the Institute. With this programme, the notional contribution by IIM Indore accounts for Rs. 1.5 Crore, making it the highest ISR contribution amongst all the educational institutions so far.

Prof. Himanshu Rai in his address urged the doctors to ‘Seek a FRIEND’. Explaining further, he stated that ‘FRIEND’ stands for Follow your heart, Remove negativity, Invest in relationships, Exercise your mind and body, Never compromise on values and Don’t give up. ‘Life that is built on your dreams, will be far better than someone else’s expectation. If you keep on trying to fulfill someone else’s expectations, you may have a sense of achievement, but you will never have a sense of fulfillment – hence always follow your heart’, he said. He recommended the doctors eliminate all the hatred and negativity from their lives, for when we hate or remain angry, these impact our mental peace as well. Noting that Kritajna’s journey has brought together 100 doctors from across the nation developing friendships, he advised the doctors to invest in relationships. ‘Being a doctor, you do realize the need for a physically fit body, however, make sure that you are taking good care of your mental health as well. Exercise your body and mind and stay firm on your own significant beliefs’, he explained. He suggested the doctors keep trying and never give up even after losing or failing at any task– for the key to success is resilience and perseverance. ‘Hence, be a ‘FRIEND’ to yourself first, so that you can be a friend to many and contribute effectively to the welfare of the people around you’, he concluded.

Prof. Saumya Ranjan Dash congratulated the doctors for completing the course. He noted that IIM Indore has completed its glorious 25 years recently, and the Institute has always been keen to add to the welfare of the society and take all the possible steps for contributing to nation-building. ‘This programme is unique and aims at expressing our heartfelt thanks to the frontline doctors. The healthcare sector in India will be flourishing in the coming years, both in policy and private sector expansion as well. We believe that the frontline sectors who are leading the healthcare would contribute to the sector’s growth. Hence, Kritajna is an IIM Indore initiative to help the doctors enhance their leadership and managerial skills for efficaciously perform in their field in the coming years’, he said.

Out of the 500 doctors who applied from across the nation for the programme, the IIM Indore panel had selected the top 100. These belong to 22 states including Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Kerela, West Bengal, Punjab, Assam, Bihar, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar, etc., from more than 50 cities. Aged 27-65 years, these doctors belong to more than 30 specializations namely, general surgery, anesthesia, orthopedic and trauma, internal medicine, pathology, pediatrics, radiation oncology, plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, physiology, anatomy, cancer surgery, cardiology, aviation medicine, dentistry, ophthalmology, nephrology,       public health, etc. to name a few.

The specially designed curriculum comprised sessions on Leadership, Negotiation, Communications, Time Management, Emotional Intelligence, Role of Emerging Digital Technologies in Healthcare Services, Digitalization of Healthcare Services, Big Data Analytics, e-Sanjeevani: Tele-Consultations, Introduction to Marketing, Business Challenges & Managing Crisis and Entrepreneurship. The doctors also got an opportunity to select a case of their choice and prepare a case study.

On this occasion, the doctors received the Certificate of Completion from Prof. Rai. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Prof. Subin Sudhir. He noted that Kritajna became one of the key executive programmes conducted by IIM Indore. ‘We teach management concepts to people who are already involved in outright managing of organizations. However, with the exceptional services offered by the doctors during the pandemic, we decided to merge management with healthcare and offer this leadership programme. This also is in line with our mission to offer contextually relevant world-class academics which encourages the participants to become socially conscious’, he said.

The doctors also shared their experience on this occasion. They noted that the experience of this Leadership Development Programme was memorable. They thanked IIM Indore for this brilliantly designed programme and appreciated the ‘Kritagya’ gesture of the institute. The objective of the programme was to give the doctors a perspective about what management education and research in healthcare can contribute and transform the way healthcare services have been performed.