The story of HCG

B S Ajai Kumar is an Indian oncologist and entrepreneur. He is the founder and executive chairman of HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd, a South Asian provider of cancer care.

Kumar got his MBBS from St. John's Medical College, Bangalore. He completed his residency at University of Virginia Hospital. Then, he obtained a MD at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas.

During the course of his career he visited India frequently. In 1989 he founded Bharath Hospital and Institute of Oncology in Mysore, built with grants given by the government of the United States through a non profit trust. He began practising value based medicine, which consists of giving the same treatment at a much lower cost than in the United States and Europe. Then he started the Bangalore Institute of Oncology.

He practised for two decades in USA (he was charged by the Board of Medical Examiners of the State of Iowa with professional incompetence and practice harmful or detrimental to the public; he surrendered his Iowa license to resolve the matters in 2006); in 2003 he decided to return with his family to India, and in 2005 he formed HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG). introducing new technology for cancer treatment. In 2021 HCG had around 21 comprehensive cancer care centres.

He also partnered with Kamini A. Rao to establish fertility centers in India in 2013.

Kumar is also the President of Association of Healthcare Providers Bangalore and Chapter and Advisor of the Federation of Healthcare Associations. He has given several talks at Harvard Business School and other universities and participates in different health initiatives.

Health Care Global Enterprises has been defining the future of cancer care in India by designing, building and managing cancer centres with a steadfast vision: To transform cancer care environment by bringing core clinical services in one centric place. The intent of this single place is to help patients achieve longer, better lives and to improve cancer care, one centre at a time.

At HCG, we view each centre as a model of excellence – a place where physicians can achieve professional fulfillment and breakthrough in patient care. We are committed to creating an environment that fosters the professional achievements of each person who crosses the thresh hold of a centre. And by sharing these achievements across the network, the achievements of each centre, each physician and each hospital are further heightened. Patients are the beneficiaries of these achievements – every accomplishment brings us one step closer to our ultimate goal of better lives for cancer patients and their families. Health Care Global Enterprises is currently a leader in cancer care managing a network of 20 cancer centres that span India. Each centre is provided with a business system, management expertise and capital resources to bring patient focused, state of art cancer care to new regions across the world.

Being a registered non-profit organisation, it provides treatments at a nominal cost. For the high-quality service provided by us, our hospital was honoured with the “Rajyothsava Award” by the Government of Karnataka during 2003-04.

MD Anderson is widely considered to be one of the foremost cancer hospitals in the world. The MD Anderson Center provides care to over 174,000 people annually and employs more than 22,000 people.

Frost & Sullivan is an American business consulting firm. It offers market research and analysis, growth strategy consulting, and corporate training. It has about 45 offices in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe; the principal office is in Santa Clara, California.

Frost & Sullivan was started by Dan L. Sullivan and Lore A. Frost in New York City in 1961. In the 1970s it started a corporate training division, began sponsoring conferences and industry meetings, and opened an office in London.

In 1982, it was publicly traded, and had annual revenues of $9.1 million. By 1987 revenue had grown to around $17.5 million, with $290,000 in net earnings. Theodore Cross acquired 53% of the stock in the mid-1980s. In January 1988 the company was taken private by merger with a subsidiary of FAS Acquisition Co., a company formed by Cross and Warburg Pincus Capital. It was sold to David Frigstad in 1993.

A sales office in New York was damaged in the September 11 attacks. During the ensuing recession the company laid off 10% of its 700 staff.

Frost & Sullivan issues industry awards based on research using a proprietary methodology, which is sometimes based on a single article produced by the receiver of the award. Organizations that receive a Frost & Sullivan award must pay a fee to communicate the outcome to the public.