Ranjeeta Vinil is the Founder and Director of Saarathi Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. – a company which has changed the paradigm of health management services in India. She has been instrumental in rolling out healthcare services with a single focus on creating a positive difference to the lives of patients. Under her aegis, Saarathi has defined the true essence of Innovation, quality and compliance to its core. To get more insights on how her knacks have transformed Saarathi into a preferred partner in the pharma industry, we bring you an exclusive interview with Ranjeeta.
Brief us about you and your journey since the beginning of your career
I was associated with patient relationship management very early in my pharma career. Working closely with patients and seeing their plight was a huge revelation. In spite of several breakthrough innovations in the field of medicine, the benefits reach only a miniscule segment of the population. I felt the patients deserve to get better outcomes for the treatment they are paying for. I felt that the existing healthcare system was not patient centric and felt a strong urge to change it.
Fate could have it, at the peak of my corporate career; I was detected with breast cancer. My personal experience through the journey to recovery brought me even closer to the plight of the patients and that was the turning point that gave rise to Saarathi Healthcare, in 2008.
Starting as a patient-centric Disease management company, we conceptualized and launched one of the first disease management programs in India way back in 2008. Over the years the concept has gained prevalence and today we partner with majority of the top Pharma companies who believe in our patient centric approach. This I feel is a paradigm shift in the healthcare deliverables in India.
What was your source of motivation? Or, who is your role model or the person that inspires you?
More than motivation it was my urge to change the system that kept me going.
Kindly tell us about the challenges you faced to withstand the complexities of the industry.
We went through a lot of challenges initially. Our patient centric healthcare model was in complete variance to the existing practices in the Pharma industry. In the absence of any proven results, the pharmaceutical companies were not comfortable in forgoing their set practices which were in vogue for decades. The top management who saw sense in the concept were apprehensive in adopting the model amidst strong opposition from the sales department.
The challenge was not just about introducing a new model but it was about replacing an existing proven model. But in spite of the challenges we persevered and finally a few forward thinking companies agreed to try out our model on a trial basis. Finally it was the positive feedbacks from patients that proved the success of the programs.
All our disease management programs have been our own innovative creations. Hence our challenges were unique and needed specific tailor made solutions as there were no previous proven procedures to go by.
Brief us about the healthcare scenario from your perspective.
The mere population in India makes the healthcare scenario very demanding. This huge population with resource constraints coupled with the lack of an effective healthcare management system makes the scenario even more complicated. Lack of Infrastructure in terms of hospitals, clinics diagnostic centers and trained healthcare professionals are further exacerbated by underutilization of resources due to a chaotic healthcare system. These constraints have led to a major share of the resources being allocated for curative services leading to lack of long term permanent solutions. The primary focus in the healthcare should be to better this ratio between Healthcare services and patients. Reduce the number of patients and increase the healthcare services.
Kindly describe in brief about your company and its services/products.
Saarathi since its inception has been involved in finding innovative solutions to optimally utilize the existing resources for better healthcare and treatment outcomes.
Patient Empowerment Solutions
With our Innovative Disease management programs linked with Patient empowerment solutions, we help fill gaps in the existing healthcare delivery system. Saarathi’s services are primarily focused on Patient centric coordinated care supported by CRM platforms to deliver high value treatment outcomes and empower patients to take control of their disease through awareness, patient centric support and counseling. Through our various disease management programs and other patient engagement initiatives we have touched the lives of more than 5000000 patients till date.
Support to healthcare Practitioners
The doctor patient ratio in India is well below the required standards, it gets even worse when it comes to specialist doctors. Saarathi undertakes multichannel engagements with physicians to support them garner skills and knowledge to cope up with the changing trends in healthcare. These activities help in augmenting the existing doctor resources which are scarce in the country. In a span of nine years we have engaged with more than 200000 Doctors across the country
Tele Medicine
Majority of the Healthcare spend can be attributed to hospital visits primarily for episodic care. In addition to preventive care which is one way of reducing hospital visits we need to look at other available alternative options for hospital care. Saarathi with its combination of tele counseling facilities and other point of care interventions has been working towards alternative options like home care for patients through tele medicine. This not only reduces hospital visits but can also help avert medical emergencies.
Rural Healthcare
The real need for health care facility in India lies in the vast rural population. With our team spread across varied geographic locations, we work with local care givers to educate and empower rural patients for better wellness and treatment outcomes. The activities include, creating awareness, Counseling Patients, conducting screening camps. Also, facilitating value added services like Loan schemes for treatment, distribution of Free Medicines, guiding patients to avail the right treatment etc.
State us about your company’s achievements under your leadership.
SH has been an entrepreneur effort in the true sense. We approached the Industry with a new concept which was in complete variance to the existing practices in the Industry. Today more than the growth, we feel proud of the change which we have brought about in the healthcare deliverables in India. Majority of the top Pharma companies in India today are our clients that follow our model.
Saarathi was launched as a Proprietorship in 2018 and today we are one of the largest PRM companies in India with over 300 educators with global footprints in Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia. Some of our main achievements over the years has been the way we continued to grow the company in spite of challenges and the changing industry scenarios.
Saarathi as a company today is recognised for its deep understanding of patient needs. In our ten years of operations we have worked with more than 5 lakh patients in more than 24 Therapeutics areas. Saarathi in Sanskrit means Friend Philosopher and guide and true to our name we continue to hand hold patient through their journey.
How do you see yourself and your company in the near future? Tell us about your future goals.
I believe that this is just the beginning of our journey. With a vision to ‘Democratise Healthcare world over’, we intend to positively impact as many verticals in the healthcare industry as possible to ensure our vision, not only in India but the world over
What would you advise to the budding entrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is a hard and challenging journey, but at the end of the day, the satisfaction in seeing what you have created impacting the society in a positive manner is worth all the sacrifices.
Ranjeeta Vinil: Democratizing the World of Healthcare for Better
