Hospital management emerging as a key specialisation in business education: Expert

VISAKHAPATNAM: As educational trends continue to evolve, experts highlight hospital and healthcare management as a promising and dynamic career path for aspiring professionals.

In an interview with TOI, Prof Raja P Pappu, dean of the School of Business at GITAM (Deemed to be University), spoke about the growing importance of this multidisciplinary field.“Traditionally, healthcare management was viewed as a subset of medical training or offered as an add-on course targeted at medical and paramedical professionals. However, there is now a growing recognition that hospital and healthcare management is a distinct, multidisciplinary field,” said Prof.

Raja.With the rapid expansion of India’s healthcare industry, the demand for skilled professionals in healthcare management is surging. “There is a significant gap between the demand and supply of qualified hospital management professionals. Healthcare management serves as the vital bridge between clinical services and support functions, ensuring the seamless operation of the entire system.”To address this growing need, Prof.

Raja stressed the importance of building human resource capacities in public health management and hospital administration. He noted that efforts in this direction are already underway.“For instance, GITAM launched its MBA in healthcare and hospital management in 2024. Of the 18 students enrolled in the inaugural batch, they have already secured 32 internships. The two-year program is co-delivered in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone and the Academy of Hospital Administration.

It covers a comprehensive range of topics, including healthcare policy and law, hospital planning, healthcare supply chain management, hospital administration, healthcare ethics, economics, informatics, analytics, and the digital health ecosystem.

Students can also choose six electives from a basket of 14, ensuring flexibility and depth in learning. The curriculum has been thoughtfully designed and meticulously implemented,” said the dean.Despite the potential, Prof. Raja noted some hesitancy among students. “Many students are still unaware of the vast opportunities in this field. The first batch includes several doctors and pharmacy graduates, showing the appeal of this program across disciplines. An effective hospital administrator can reach great heights in their career. While doctors are essential for clinical care, it is the management professionals who ensure hospitals run efficiently,” he said.

He also predicted that hospital and healthcare management would be among the top five most in-demand management specializations over the next decade. “This is an MBA program at its core—you are trained as a general administrator with a specialisation in healthcare. It involves core business areas such as analytics, marketing, finance, decision-making, statistics, operations, and even fundraising. Doctors enable care; managers ensure it is delivered effectively,” Prof.

Raja added.