Unnati Negi : Walking off the beaten path

The new Chief Operating Officer of Fortis Clinique Darné has held posts of responsibility in the healthcare sector in her home country, India, as well as at international level. One of her priorities is to promote preventive health among the Mauritian population.

The new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Fortis Clinique Darné (FCD), Unnati Negi, is a healthcare professional with over 20 years of work experience in her home country, India as well as at international level. Before coming to Mauritius, she was Head-Operations (Fortis Memorial Research Institute – FMRI – Allied Hospitals) at the FMRI, in India. In the course of her career, she has dealt with business development, marke-=ting and project management, namely, for the National Health Services (NHS) and the General Dental Council of the United Kingdom. However, before holding such posts of responsibility, Unnat iNegi first chose to study Hindi literature at Presidency College, Calcutta and even in that field, was a State topper, which enabled her to obtain a scholarship from the Indian

Ministry of Human Resources. And later on, as a professional, she followed several courses including one on Brand Management and Marketing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Joka.

Looking back, Unnati Negi recalls her first work experience as a management trainee at Escorts Finance, a non-financial Indian-based banking company. She then got a sales job at Tata Motors, a leading manufacturer of the Indian automotive industry. There, she says, she sold trucks and Tata Sumo cars, adding that “this was one of the most exhilarating jobs till date and the training I got on the streets can’t be matched in any classroom of the world.”

After her experience at Tata Motors, Unnati Negi was employed by the British High Commission and while she was there, a position was advertised to work as Country Lead for the National Health Services (NHS), UK. “I was selected and that is how I joined healthcare.” From then on, she occupied significant positions in the NHS. “I represented the NHS in India on important issues relating to import/export of medical equipments, medical tourism as well as sensitive ones such as brain drain.” As a result of her work on these assignments, Unnati Negi was chosen to work for the General Dental Council, in London. She remained in office there for nearly four years before returning to India.

In her homeland, Unnati Negi became a core member of the team which started Medanta hospital with DrNaresh Trehan. “It was my first experience of actual hospital and since then, I have not looked back.” Before joining the Fortis Group, she also launched a few cancer centres for Max Healthcare Group. She has been with Fortis Group since the last three years, before being deputed to work at Fortis Clinique Darné, in Mauritius. “I was heading three hospitals for Fortis Group in Delhi and the National Capital Region – NCR – before taking over operations for Clinique Darné.”

The new COO of Fortis Clinique Darné explains that her responsibilities include patient care and hospital operations. “I am directly responsible for making a patient’s life as comfortable as possible. I am also accountable for transparency, medical ethics and seamless processes. It is my job to ensure that patient and clinician trust is maintained at the highest level.” And what about her vision for the Mauritian hospital? Her priorities, she asserts, will be “the availability of tertiary care across all specialties and patient satisfaction. I would ideally like all Darné patients to feel that they were really cared for when they were sick.” She also adds that the future is more towards preventive health which will need a change in the local mindset. “When we go through preventive health checks, we detect problems earlier on, hence reducing our sufferings and risks of a financial drain”, the COO underlines before adding that the challenge is “one has to face a hospital without being ill”.

In a wider perspective, according to Unnati Negi, Fortis Clinique Darné can contribute a lot to the Indian Ocean and African region. Mentioning that CIEL Healthcare – one of the majority shareholders, with Fortis Healthcare, of FCD – has already set up a hospital in Kampala, Uganda, the COO emphasizes: “We are constantly upgrading the facilities and talents at FCD to manage the patients who have had to go out of their country to access quality medical care. It will be our endeavor to provide the best possible care to the region so people can be treated within the comfort of their homes.” In that respect, Unnati Negi states: “I see no reason why Fortis Clinique Darné cannot expand its operations to the Indian Ocean as well as Africa.”

Regarding the medical sector in Mauritius, the COO thinks that the island has a good public health system which is free and “remarkable”. As for private healthcare, it has “fairly evolved”, according to her. Unnati Negi firmly believes that the “availability of international technology, protocols, more advanced treatment methods as well as expertise locally” is essential. This is why Fortis Clinique Darné “has a great talent pool and we continue to bring in specialists to Mauritius so we can learn, train and treat with them.”

However, a major issue, in Mauritius, she repeats, is the standpoint of the population at large: “I personally feel that Mauritians are so easy going and happy-go-lucky people that if I wanted to start a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) campaign in public areas which can lead to saving a lot of lives, it may not be that well received. I have tried to approach cinemas and mall owners to allow us to talk about emergency medicine in their popular zones but I have not had much success. I would like people and institutions to come forward and partner with us on things like these.”

Unnati Negi perceives Mauritius as an emerging market in terms of availability of infrastructure, equipment and specialized clinicians. “Mauritius can easily become one of the world’s top destinations for medical tourism if we make the right moves at the right time. It is only imminent given its location, its excellent ties with India, France and the whole region. Local people offer a great language advantage which cannot be found in many countries. All these things should be considered when you are trying to work around patient centricity.”

But who is Unnati Negi away from Fortis Clinique Darné? Mother of a 14-year-old girl called Aakarshi which in Hindi means “attractive”, she recounts that she got married when she was 19 and her husband Rajdeep was 21. “We were very independent people, even at that age, and decided to give life a go! I can say that our life has been a roller coaster ride with all its thrills, adventure and risks but we have gone through it together and the gratifying journey continues.”

Even if she has travelled across the world and has had the opportunity to meet a lot of people, Unnati Negi remains a private person. “Given a choice, I would read a book and write poetry overlooking the mountains for the rest of my life”, she confides. She also loves nature and backpacking. “I have explored many countries such as the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom all alone and have had some of the remarkable adventures including living in a youth hostel, a few years ago, an enlightening experience. During these travel breaks, I have met some fantabulous people and done some of the craziest things in life!” Finally, she admits: “I hate walking the beaten tracks, which is why I am always experimenting with life.”