Dr Kamal Gulati1
1All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi-110029, India
Purpose: Leadership skills are vital for efficient delivery of health reforms. India, a LMIC, is transforming its public health care significantly. The health workforce, particularly doctors, however lacks leadership skills. This study aims to highlight the leadership skills gap and raise concerns about how India might achieve its ambitious health reforms in the lack of formal, prospective leadership training for its workforce.
Methodology: This study conducted nine management development programmes between 2012 and 2020 and collected data from 416 (N = 444, 94% response rate) health-care professionals using a questionnaire. Participants were asked to inform leadership challenges that they perceived critical. A total of 47 unique challenges were identified, which were distributed across five domains of American College of Healthcare Executives Competency Assessment Tool (2020). Relevant information was also obtained from review of secondary sources including journal articles from scientific and grey literature and government websites.
Findings: Majority (85.36%) had never attended any management training and were from public sector (56.1%). Mean total experience was 18 years. Top 5 challenges were lack of motivation (54.26%), communication (52.38%), contracts management (48.31%), leadership skills (47.26%) and retention of workforce (45.56%). Maximum challenges (29) were in domain of business skills and knowledge, followed by knowledge of health-care environment (9), leadership, professionalism, and communication and relationship management (3 each).
Conclusion: In absence of the leadership training, senior health professionals particularly doctors, suffer leadership challenges. Efforts should be made to strengthen medical leadership capacity in Indian health-care system to advance the country’s national health reforms.
Biography:
Dr Kamal Gulati is a Senior Scientist in AIIMS, New Delhi, India. His areas of research interest is Medical Leadership. Using the NHS Medical Leadership Competency Framework, his doctoral research revealed significant medical leadership competency gaps amongst doctors in India. He has published his research work in international journals including ‘BMJ Leader’ and co-authored a book chapter for WHO book “Public Hospital Governance in Asia and the Pacific”. He is a recipient of the prestigious Oxford-Chevening CRISP Fellowship, International Fellowship of the Institute of Advanced Studies at Warwick University and the NHS Leadership Academy Award.