As the specialised hospitals are growing in number, each is trying to create a distinct 'positioning' for itself. You are aware that there are hospitals specialising in Cardiac Surgery, Cancer Care, Spinal injury, Eye hospitals, Abortion clinics, Maternity homes, etc. Each one is trying to create a unique identify and wants to cater to a specific segment of the market.
The process by which they identify, what type of health care service should be offering, is nothing but applying some concepts of marketing related to segmentation, targeting, positioning.
Thus, we see that the marketing concepts can be applied to health care sector. In this unit an attempt has been made to explain the application of marketing in hospital services, taking the example of Indian Railway hospitals.
“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not the outsider on our business. He is a part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.” - Mahatma Gandhi
The importance and applicability of the above dictums is totally relevant to the commercial sector. Sometimes the government sector, however, due to a myopic view, is unable to directly apply it in its services. If they replace the word “Customer” by “citizen public” then, perhaps, they will be able to do justice to the public they serve. The above views of Gandhiji are true for all sectors, including hospitals.
In regard to hospitals, we may change the word “customer” with “patient”. Since the doctor’s very existence is related to the patients, hospitals become an integral part of medical care. Before looking at the question of “Marketing for Indian Railway Hospitals”, we will examine the hospital system as such and look at the set-up of the Railway hospitals and than tackle the main question.
Hospital System and Functions
Functions of Hospital Systems : When a patient enters a hospital, many groups are involved inside and outside the hospital. Inside, the patient is concerned with admission, doctors, nurses, dietetics, the business office, and housekeepers, to name only a few. Externally, the patient is involved with relatives, friends and (sometimes) a third parry–the payer, and is influenced by government regulations, accreditation and community, to name a few.
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