Strengthening leadership capacity: an unaddressed issue in Indian healthcare system
ISSN: 1751-1879
Article publication date: 12 April 2022
Issue publication date: 28 June 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Leadership skills are vital for efficient delivery of health reforms. India, a low- and middle-income country, is transforming its public health care significantly. The health workforce, particularly doctors, however lacks leadership skills. This study aims to highlight the leadership skills gap and raise concerns about how India might achieve its ambitious health reforms in the lack of formal, prospective leadership training for its workforce.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted nine management development programmes between 2012 and 2020 and collected data from 416 (N = 444, 94% response rate) health-care professionals using a questionnaire. Participants were asked to inform leadership challenges that they perceived critical. A total of 47 unique challenges were identified, which were distributed across five domains of American College of Healthcare Executives Competency Assessment Tool (2020). Relevant information was also obtained from review of secondary sources including journal articles from scientific and grey literature and government websites.
Findings
Majority of participants (85.36%) had never attended any management training and were from public sector (56.1%). Mean total experience was 18 years. Top 5 challenges were lack of motivation (54.26%), communication (52.38%), contracts management (48.31%), leadership skills (47.26%) and retention of workforce (45.56%). Maximum challenges (29) were in domain of business skills and knowledge, followed by knowledge of health-care environment (9), leadership, professionalism, and communication and relationship management (3 each).
Originality/value
In absence of the leadership training, senior health professionals particularly doctors in India, suffer leadership challenges. Efforts should be made to strengthen leadership capacity in Indian health-care system to advance the country’s ongoing national health reforms.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the time and efforts of the health professionals who participated in the study.
Funding: This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Authors’ contributions: All four authors (KG, ARS, SKG, CS) have contributed to the manuscript. KG took the lead in conceptualizing and writing, ARS assisted in data collection and analysis, SKG and CS provided a synthesis of literature about Indian health-care system and leadership development in India.
Ethics. The research was approved by ethics committee of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
Conflict of interest statement for all authors. There is no conflict of interest for this research work.
Citation
Gulati, K., Singh, A.R., Gupta, S.K. and Sarkar, C. (2022), "Strengthening leadership capacity: an unaddressed issue in Indian healthcare system", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 428-442. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-11-2021-0094
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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