Coming from a rural and an economically modest background, he knew the worth of every rupee that the common man toiled for everyday. When he returned to India after his fellowship in Sydney and Melbourne, his single aim was to work in a state-of-the-art set-up, where, along with the other professionals, he could put to use all that he had learnt. “I was always looking for ways to deliver quality medical service at a relatively affordable cost. But being in a corporate set-up, I knew I couldn’t do anything on that front,” says Dr Bhaskar Rao, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, KIMS Hospital.
So after completing his studies, Dr Bhaskar joined Medwin in India, where he spent close to five years sharpening his clinical skills. “Even though I was busy with my clinical life, I use to take a keen interest in the workings of the hospital,” says the doctor, whose service was limited to only those patients who could afford it. This made him feel disconnected with a large section of the society. However, the year 1996 brought along the biggest turning point of his life.
“I decided to tie up with Mahavir Charitable Hospital, Hyderabad, to provide affordable cardiac care. I took a loan of five crore rupees and started working to convert my dream into a reality. We did bypass surgeries at just '50,000. In 10 years, my team and I performed over 5,000 surgeries for the poor. It was one of the most emotionally satisfying moments of my career — to see my dream come true,” says Dr Bhaskar, whose own sister developed an undiagnosed heart condition, which resulted in a paralytic attack and eventually led to permanent disability.
Talking about her condition, he shares, “We had taken her to CMC Vellore for treatment and that’s where we discovered her medical condition. The treating doctor said that if we had come earlier, she wouldn’t have suffered this attack. That was the day I decided to become a cardiac specialist,” he adds. Dr Bhaskar’s parents were from an agricultural background, but they had an eye for detail when it came to tapping potential opportunities to grow. “A trait which helped me and my brothers learn how to use the greatest resource we had — time — productively,” he elucidates.
However, until the year 2000, Dr Bhaskar hadn’t realised that he had it in him to become an entrepreneur. The year was the tipping point when he decided to take the plunge and start his own hospital. He says, “Throughout my stint at Mahavir, my sister’s permanent disability was at the back of my head. Early in the year 2000, we decided to set up our first hospital in Nellore — Bollineni Hospitals, named after my family (it is now called KIMS Hospital). We quickly followed this up by launching a diagnostic centre in Kadapa in 2001 and a few more hospitals in Rajahmundry, Srikakulam and Hyderabad.”
In just over a decade, all of Dr Bhaskar’s initiatives were doing exceedingly well and in 2011, ICICI Ventures came on board, helping the team in establishing their flagship hospital at Secunderabad. “Which is today the single largest hospital to have 1,000 beds in one single facility! By 2014, we opened another hospital at Kondapur to cater to the IT belt of Hyderabad. In early 2017, we opened our sixth hospital at Ongole. We also took over a medical college and hospital in Srikakulam, which is now run separately as the GEMS Medical College and Hospital,” reveals Dr Bhaskar Rao.
Evidently, this story of success is nothing short of a marvel! So how did he evolve from being a great surgeon to a medical entrepreneur? The doctor says, “It would really be a shame to tie entrepreneurship to a person’s genes. If this were true, the world would have been poorer. In my opinion, entrepreneurs are made and unmade by their mindsets. A stronger and a positive mindset can move mountains. Swami Vivekananda once had said ‘All power is within you; you can do anything and everything’.”
What’s even more amazing is that this small-town boy hasn’t changed one bit despite garnering monumental success. “I am still the same person. Professionally, I have changed immensely and it has heralded many changes in my working style. I have understood the importance of team work and taking care of my employees (over 6,000), who are an extended family for me today. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see my employees settled well in their lives,” says Dr Bhaskar, who hails from a quaint village called Mamuduru in Nellore district.
Mentioning how his family was his pillar of strength during the journey, he says, “Both my brothers are in the infrastructure business. When I decided to set up my hospital, they were my backbone, both financially and emotionally. Their deep understanding of running a capex intensive and operationally taxing infra business helped me immensely. With the construction aspect taken care of, I could concentrate 100 per cent of my resources on the medical and clinical needs of the hospital.”
Initial challenges
“The biggest challenge was getting bank loans. Luckily, my brothers were extremely helpful as they had learnt from their previous experiences. Apart from that, it was a challenge to hire a team of good doctors, nurses and paramedical and technical staff. I have been lucky in this regard. My cardiology team is with me since 1996”
USP
“Delivering patient satisfaction at a relatively low cost”
