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Elizabeth G. Clark: Changing Emergency Services for KIMS, Kerala

Elizabeth G. Clark: Changing Emergency Services for KIMS, Kerala November 22, 2015

Marketing, research and business development consultant in healthcare, human services and senior living.

Liz Clark is a Hospital Analyst for the Kerala Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) in Thiruvananthapuram, India. At KIMS Ms. Clark leads numerous management projects including patient service improvements and heads the development of training for emergency medicine services for hospitals in India.

Four years ago, the 600 bed multidisciplinary hospital, entered a new phase of growth. The Chairman of the hospital, Dr. M.I. Sahadulla, recognized the need for assistance outside of India. He recruited Ms. Clark, a trained public health professional, to develop systems that would better support patient care. There are a variety of services the hospital provides for patients on a daily basis that require extensive training. Her job was to figure out what services were not working, and how they could be improved or changed.

The majority of KIMS international patients are from the Maldives and Gulf region of the Middle East. KIMS is the largest and closest tertiary care center to the Maldives. The Maldivian government provides citizens with small cash stipends for healthcare. Since its healthcare infrastructure is not well established, citizens often travel to India for services. KIMS has a help desk, chef, and guesthouses in the surrounding area that cater specifically to Maldivian patients to make them feel more comfortable.

The Gulf region and Kerala have shared cultural history and have been trading partners for centuries. KIMS has promoters for the hospital in the Middle East that make people aware of the services, especially the high-end oncology services, and often bring patients and their families to the hospital.

This past year KIMS installed a PET scan, as well as other specialized equipment not regularly found in the Middle East, India, or Southeast Asia. Non-resident Indians that work in other parts of the world often still come home to India for healthcare because of the high-end, specialized services and complex surgeries available at a low cost. “I would argue that India has a good track record of delivering high quality care that meets clinical needs to patients that are presented to the hospital system,” says Ms. Clark.

Ms. Clark is especially passionate about is the improvements to emergency medicine in India. In her first month at KIMS, Dr. Sahadulla gave her the challenging assignment to improve the delivery of patient services especially in the emergency department. She entered into discussions with Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY to start a three-year residency program for emergency medicine in India, with the academic support from the University.

Earlier this year Liz also approached Boston University School of Public Health, and hosted two graduate researchers. The three of them have published a paper based on their research findings entitled “Development of post graduate program in emergency medicine in India: Current status, scope and career pathways.” This research will assist in the development of curriculum for emergency medicine.

“I see emergency medicine as being integral to strengthening the Indian healthcare system in terms of its performance, accessibility, its cost effectiveness. It bodes well for everyone who comes to India for healthcare. This program will help strengthen healthcare across the board,” says Ms. Clark.

Listen to this episode with Elizabeth G. Clark on The Medical Travel Show Homepage…

Marketing, research and business development consultant in healthcare, human services and senior living.

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