Operational efficiency in hospitals

Abstract

The healthcare system in Singapore has been widely acknowledged as one of the most effective in the world in terms of rankings that consider indicators of critical care. In 2008, Singapore achieved the second lowest infant mortality in the world (2.32 / 1,000 live births), and the ninth highest life expectancy at birth (81 years). This implies a significant improvement from 1980 when infant mortality rate was 8 / 1000 live births and life expectancy was only 71 years. However, these statistics fail to account for the quality of life of Singaporean citizens, as well as the efficiency of healthcare delivery. Major hospitals in Singapore (especially public hospitals) currently face severe capacity constraints. Singapore General Hospital has experienced bed occupancy rates of greater than 95% in some years, with several government hospitals at levels above 90%. As a whole, the Singaporean healthcare system possesses 31 beds per 10,000 residents (placing Singapore at 42nd in the world). This capacity crunch has ramifications for the quality of healthcare of citizens, in addition to manifesting as a burden on the economy. Patients are forced to suffer long waits in administrative and core healthcare tasks in hospitals. Additionally, with a demographic trend towards an aging population that will further burden the healthcare system, it becomes all the more important to continuously work on improving the efficiency of healthcare delivery. On the other hand, the healthcare system in India has always been a subject of public ridicule. A closer look at the performance of Indian hospitals shows that many of their innovations to help functioning under severe resource constraints are taken for granted. Due to a lack of funding and air tight accountability systems, the Indian healthcare system ranks abysmally in the world. However, beneath the unappealing numbers lie tales of countless dedicated doctors and administrators who deliver the best possible results under the circumstances - lessons that apply anywhere in the world. This study, involving both primary and secondary research into the Singaporean and Indian healthcare systems makes recommendations to streamline healthcare delivery in both public and private hospitals in Singapore. Hospitals were evaluated on three categories of services: I) Administrative Tasks. II) Emergency Care. III) Outpatient Care. The results obtained in Singaporean hospitals were then benchmarked to hospitals in India known for efficient handling of large patient flows. These hospitals in India, representing both public (Gandhi Hospital) and private (NarayanaHrudayalaya, Aravind Eye Hospitals) institutions, provide varied insights into patient healthcare delivery in the face of limited resources.