Nothing comes easy in life, at least not to me. When my wife and I started Suburban Diagnostics, we had no prior experience of running an enterprise. We were doing everything! From opening the shutter to signing out reports and everything in between. Medical school training prepares you for hard work. 14 hour days are routine. And if your work adds value to the lives of people, then the effort is so much worth it.
1. Tell us about your upbringing, background, and journey?
My parents were born in that part of India that is now in Pakistan. While my mother came to India a few weeks earlier, my father had to bear the ordeal of the movement across the border during the partition. From living in a refugee camp, my father had to fight for the basics of life. My mother lost her mother when she was just a year old and had to grow up on her own.
In many ways, the lost childhood of my parents motivated them to pour their hearts out into the upbringing of my sister and me. Despite modest means, our parents gave us everything; the best education, a great home, scrumptious food, fashionable clothes, and the best values. Perhaps the one that stood out was the emphasis on education where we were second to none.
I was born in Calcutta in 1966, moved to Delhi in 1969, and finally to Bombay in 1974. My father worked with IBM and this job took him places, literally! When I was born, my father enrolled my name with Mayo college, one of India’s most prestigious residential schools. At the age of 10, I qualified via an entrance exam and made my way to Mayo in 1977.
"A boarding school is meant for children who are undisciplined, not for boys like Sanjay who have an exemplary school record." - my father heard these words from innumerable family and friends, but he had none of it. He was determined to give me the best education possible, which he did. In 1978, IBM was asked to shut operations in India and my father decided to migrate to Canada, sponsored by his younger siblings, whom he had helped settle in Canada a few years earlier. So in 1979, we moved lock, stock, and barrel to Canada to start a life from scratch.
I guess academics came easy to me. I was a class monitor and top student in Delhi, a topper in my school in Mumbai, a merit scholar in Mayo, and the top student of the school I attended in 1980 in Canada.
In 1981, my father decided to move back to India since he did not enjoy life in Canada. So after 2 years of restarting our lives, we moved back from Canada to Bombay, to start once again from scratch. Across 10 years of schooling, I moved schools every 2 years. But this gave me such a wide level of exposure, which was unlike anyone else I had known.
2. Why did you choose to be a doctor and decide what you specifically want to do?
I never wanted to become a doctor. My first choice was engineering, with computer science at IIT. My coaching classes were also in Physics, Chemistry, and Maths, but I did not drop Biology from my scope of subjects. I gave it my best but did not secure admission to IIT, but I did get a good score in class 12 to secure admission in VJTI, Mumbai’s top engineering school.
Surprisingly, I also did well in biology and ended up securing a seat in medical colleges in Mumbai (I had applied just because I was encouraged by my parents). When I was eligible for admission to Grant Medical College (GMC), I had to decide. So I pulled my admission from VJTI and got admitted to GMC. I was to be the first doctor in my family! And it made my parents very proud.
Looking back, I feel destiny chose this path for me. Both my parents have a series of medical conditions that I was able to help with. My strong sense of empathy has really stood me in good stead in navigating the demands of the medical profession.
The first 6 months of my medical college days were the worst 6 months of my life. Everyone else who was there wanted to become a doctor and was mentally prepared for it. I was a fish out of the water, just trying to stay alive. During the 6 months, I built some enduring and lasting friendships (to date) that perhaps motivated me to stick with it and pursue my medical career. There was no noble thought. I had the marks to get it and the friends to stick it out with. That's it! Also, I never give up on anything.
Throughout medical school, I was good at surgery and was keen to take up a surgical branch. However, I did not get a mentor of choice and my friends encouraged pathology. Again, not by choice but by default. But once I was in it, I gave it my best and did really well during my residency. Today my training in diagnostics allows me to make an impact across a wider canvas by influencing 70% of decision-making in health matters for millions of patients.
3. We salute your work during the pandemic, where did you get the inspiration to work so hard?
Nothing comes easy in life, at least not to me. When my wife and I started Suburban Diagnostics, we had no prior experience of running an enterprise. We were doing everything! From opening the shutter to signing out reports and everything in between. Medical school training prepares you for hard work. 14 hour days are routine. And if your work adds value to the lives of people, then the effort is so much worth it.
4. How do you expect digital health to grow over the next 5 years?
Almost all organizations are in some way or another a software-driven enterprise. Healthcare is no exception. The covid pandemic has only accelerated the digital transformation in healthcare. The biggest impact is on accessibility; the ease of the digital platform to allow access to healthcare from anywhere, at any time. The national digital health mission (NDHM) by the Govt of India will bring all healthcare users on a standardized ecosystem.
Data will be uniform and available on the cloud. The analytics of the data will bring a depth of insights that will allow better medical outcomes for everyone. The democratization of healthcare due to more transparency of the digital platform will allow higher quality of service delivery for the consumers.
Data analytics will also facilitate the use of artificial intelligence to aid the medical fraternity in improved decision-making. Improved customer experience, improved quality, and improved medical outcomes - three very positive results from digital health.
5. What are your concerns about Digital Health?
Some people in the medical fraternity believe that digitization will replace many jobs and replace the livelihood of healthcare professionals. I believe that digital interventions will aid these medical professionals to make better decisions, faster and with more accuracy, thus making the job of healthcare professionals easier.
Personally, I do not think digital health will have a negative impact on health outcomes. At worst it may never be able to build the level of trust and relationship that exists between a doctor and a patient.
6. Can you let us know any application of Digital Health in our country which has impressed you?
All telemedicine platforms that allow teleconsultations have been very impressive. Applications using AI have been useful in reading CT scans, MRI scans, X Rays, and ECGs with a high degree of accuracy, thus reducing the burden for the doctors. This allows the doctors to put more focus on the abnormal cases.
7. What is your message for aspiring doctors and the young generation? Which is the best medical college according to you?
There is a huge shortage of qualified medical professionals. Find the purpose that made you choose this profession and stick to it. Do not get disheartened by negative media reports about doctors and the medical profession. There is no other profession that can make such a positive difference to the life of another.
8. What does your typical day look like and what do you like to do besides work?
Early mornings are spent on myself and a strenuous physical activity workout under the guidance of my trainer. That really sets the day for me. I set a few daily goals for myself each day and work towards achieving them. Adding value to at least one person every day makes my day worthwhile.
While my calendar gets fairly busy, I try to keep blank spaces to give me time to think. A large part of my time is spent on strategy, technology, and people development. I have a strong team that takes care of day-to-day operations. I am usually done between 7- 8pm on most days. I prefer to have dinner by 9pm with my family.
Music and sports are an integral part of my daily routine. I enjoy cooking and cycling on the weekends and some photography. I collate interesting articles and music that I share with professional colleagues, friends, and family every Sunday. I enjoy recording podcasts with industry experts for my favorite topic on how to unburden healthcare.
Dr. Sanjay Arora - Founder & MD, Suburban Diagnostics
This interview is sponsored by Plus91 Technologies, a leading Digital Health firm.
Interviewed By: Nishad Kinhikar
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