A Visionary Cancer Care Leader

Today, cancer care has evolved by leaps and bounds but we have not gotten rid of the negative cancer terminology like palliative care, terminal disease, or Stage IV. Why can't we treat cancer like any other chronic disease? A diabetes patient is never told he is a victim of diabetes, or he is being given palliative care.
Dr. B. S. Ajaikumar

A Visionary Cancer Care Leader Archives - Dr. Ajai Kumar

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Dr. B. S. Ajaikumar – Visionary Cancer care Crusader

Dr. Ajaikumar is a distinguished radiation and medical oncologist and his brainchild HCG is a sterling validation of his unflinching belief that cancer can be treated only one way: the right way, the very first time, to help patients achieve longer and better lives. HCG’s success becomes even more significant given that India is marked by a developing healthcare sector infrastructure and a predominant culture of multi-speciality hospitals with oncology as a division, rather than an exclusive and comprehensive oncology-driven practice.

Dr. Ajaikumar is of the firm belief that oncology calls for exclusive focus both from research and practice perspectives. He set up a comprehensive oncology practice founded on the principles of value-based quality care. In the process, HCG ushered in a paradigm shift from multi-speciality hospitals to a tertiary care super-speciality, oncology-driven approach through substantial capital investments and employing competent human resources across all pathways, divisions, and dimensions of oncology practice.

Thanks to Dr. Ajaikumar’s sterling commitment to value-based care, HCG pioneered the ‘cost of low-cost’ paradigm which incentivizes the clinician while making high-quality cancer care affordable, accessible and affable in the same stroke. Despite being a for-profit organization, HCG sets aside 20% of its profits to subsidize poorer patients, making healthcare cost-effective, outcome-driven, and patient-centric in character. Under his stewardship, HCG regularly conducts cancer prevention programs and cancer awareness programs aimed at proactive prevention and early detection.

Dr. Ajaikumar has been conferred the prestigious E&Y Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year Award as well as the Asian Health Care Leadership Awards. Harvard Business School has done a series of case studies on HCG’s unique focused factory model.

Dr. Ajaikumar firmly believes that advocacy and activism go a long way in ensuring radical healthcare transformations at the community level. Given his proven competence and altruistic vision, He has played a leadership role in providing equitable and inclusive common platforms for exchange and transfer of knowledge through education, training, and academics. Given his actionable insights into the problems and challenges of economically-challenged sections of the society and a granular understanding of the typical knowledge gaps, he is steering holistic interactions with various stakeholders to address community challenges through healthcare advocacy, particularly for cancer control and tobacco control, and for making timely policy recommendations in the area of overall healthcare strategy and building a sustainable healthcare innovation platform on the cusp of academia and industry.  

Dr. Ajaikumar has been a strong proponent of the need to institutionalize a prudent universal healthcare system in developing countries to ensure that the affluent pay for value-added care, while the poor avail of free or subsidised rates. He is playing a pivotal role in steering various cancer control advocacy initiatives and building a wholesome evidence base for effective cancer control across the globe.

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