Imphal, June 24: To cash in on the Look East Policy of the Government of India as well as in the light of the recently formulated Industrial Policy of the North East which include health care facilities, Shija Hospitals and Research Institute is gearing up to become a leading brand in health care services in the South East Asia.

In an exclusive chat with The Sangai Express at his office today, Dr Palin, who is the moving spirit of Shija Hospitals as its Chairman cum Managing Director said the �Vision 2010� of the pioneering private institute providing secondary and tertiary healthcare in the region is to be a premium and leading brand in health care in the South East Asia with 5000 beds by 2010.Established in 1985 as a small clinic at Paona Bazar, Shija Hospitals and Research Centre is the first computerised healthcare institute in the State.

Relocated at Langol, the 100-bedded hospital is today employing more than 400 staff and currently being expanded to 200 beds with many facilities which would change the health-care landscape of the region.

Dr Palin who finished his MBBS from RIMS in 1978, said that in view of the Look East Policy of the Government of India and the formulation of the Industrial Policy of the North East which include health care, Shija Hospitals has set its eyeys on becoming a leading health care institute of international standard having 5000 beds.

The ISO recognised hospital has a separate nursing school and plans are afoot to set up a medical college which would also have facilities for paramedical studies, he informed.

Dr Palin further disclosed that efforts are also being made to set up a trauma centre, a Burn Unit, four new operation theatres, installation of digital X-ray, and facilities for nephrology and test tube baby at the Hospital.

It is said around 4000 patients are treated and 4,500 major operations performed on an average every year on patients not only from Manipur but also those coming from other North Eastern States like Mizoram, Nagaland and Assam.

The Shija Hospitals and Research Institute has many firsts to its credit.

Dr Palin and his team entered the Guinness Book of World Records in April 2004 for the successful excision of the largest neck tumour (40 percent of total body weight) in the world.

Apart from the fact that it is the first hospital in Manipur where vaccination for Measles was extended to the people in 1985, Dr Palin and his team have also successfully performed free-flap surgery in North East India in 1995 as well as successfully re-implanted an amputated thumb and forearm for the first time in North East India in March 2000 and April 2005 respectively.

When asked how the idea of setting up the hospital came about after resigning from the post of Associate Professor of RIMS, Dr Palin said it was due to various limitations in Government service although his desires were unlimited.

�I was like a cow tied in the middle of the road,� he said.

While observing that the services being provided to the people at present have not yet reached the optimum level, Dr Palin informed that the Smile Train Cleft Project would be expanded to Myanmar as well very soon.

When asked about on the secret of his success, Dr Palin promptly said �customer focus�.

�Without the customer nothing can work.

Even if all the required infrastructures are there, it would be useless if there is no customer�, Dr Palin maintained.

As of the present, the departments where various services are being provided at Shija Hospital are General Surgery, Obstretics & Gynaecology, ENT, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Ophthalmology, Surgical Gastroenterology, Urology, Neurology, Physiotherapy, General Medicine, Paediatrics, Pathology, Anaesthesiolo-gy, Orthopaedics, Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery.

The Shija Hospital is also empanelled by various Government agencies, departments and corporations for reimbursement of the medical expenses on treatment for their employees.

These include RIMS, NHPC, BSNL.

PGCI, NBCC, Central Silk Board (CSB), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Airport Authority of India, Government of Manipur, Government of Nagaland, Manipur University, Oil India Limited (OIL) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.

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