Influential Women in Healthcare
A great deal of public interest goes towards ensuring that more women become leaders. By reversing their inadequately represented ranks of power, many suggested solutions are founded on the misconception that women tend to mimic men. The real problem is not a lack of qualified females but the very few obstacles for qualified males, which explains the surplus of self-assertive, conceited, and unscrupulous people in charge.
As a matter of fact, research shows that the predominance of male senior leaders is not a product of superior leadership talent in men. Gender differences in leadership talent are either hypothetical, or they actually favor men, suggest studies which include meta-analyses.
In a logical world, we would promote people into leadership roles when they are competent rather than self-assured, accrediting them for their expertise, track record, and pertinent leadership competencies (e.g., intelligence, curiosity, empathy, integrity, and coachability).
Below are eight Influential Women from the healthcare sector who have evidently been successful in breaking the glass ceiling and established the fact that women are and will continue to be equal to men.
- Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Dr Kiran is one of the top influential women entrepreneurs in the country and, the founder and chairperson of India’s largest biopharmaceutical firm – Biocon. She took relentless efforts to develop, manufacture and supply life-saving biopharmaceuticals at price points that made them affordable and accessible to the masses. Mazumdar-Shaw has also been honored with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan awards.
- Dr. Sangita Reddy
She is the executive director-operations at Apollo Hospitals and the head of Apollo Philanthropy. Dr. Reddy also heads initiatives like SAHI (Save a Child’s Heart Initiative), CURE and Billions of Hearts Beating Foundation, which have had a gigantic impact on the development of the health sector in India.
- Dr. Sunita Maheshwari
Dr Sunita, a medical entrepreneur turned doctor, co-founded Teleradiology Solutions, a one of its kind innovative healthcare IT company that supplies tele-radiologic interpretations to hospitals globally and is now in outlying areas of India as well. Dr. Maheshwari has helped set up RXDX Clinics which are a multi-specialty chain of primary care clinics in Bengaluru and Telrad Tech which is a software company that builds tele-health solutions. Dr Sunita is also vigorously active in the space of AI in radiology.
- Dr. Vinita Gupta
As the CEO, Vinita Gupta played a crucial role in Lupin’s globalization through a series of acquisitions that established its footprint across geographic and remedial areas. Under her leadership, Lupin has surfaced to be the fourth largest pharmaceutical player in the US and third largest by global revenues.
- Dr. Meena Ganesh
Dr. Meena, the MD and CEO, Portea Medical, is known to be amongst India’s prime business leaders and most successful entrepreneurs. The home healthcare company, Portea Medical, was founded by Dr. Meena in 2013 and is now catering to primary care, chronic care, and geriatric care as well. Today, Portea handles more than 100,000 home visits a month, across 21 cities, and has a manpower of about 4,500 people.
- Dr. Swati Piramal
Dr. Swati—the Vice Chairperson, Piramal Enterprises Limited and Director, Piramal Foundation—who is actively involved in the public health sector is a leading scientist and industrialist. She has been at the helm of transforming the trajectory of healthcare, education, and public policy in India, owing to her strong background in medicine. As Director of the Piramal Foundation, Dr. Swati takes various initiatives to advance and supply healthcare in rural sectors of the country.
- Dr. V Shanta
In an era when specialized medical care has become commercialized, Dr. Shanta, Oncologist and Chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute, strives to ensure that the institute remains true to its culture – ‘service to all’. She is also Magsaysay, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan Award winner. Dr. V Shanta, even at the age of 91 is a co-founder and chairperson of Chennai’s state-of-the-art Adyar Cancer Institute and is still devoted to change the scene for cancer treatment in India that provides an inspiration to young doctors and physicians.
- Dr Neerja Birla
Dr Neerja is the Founder and Chairperson, Mpower Foundation. Mpower works to improve the awareness and understanding of mental health conditions among the masses. The foundation offers diagnostics, treatment, and counselling for psychiatric conditions and endeavors to push away the fear of taboos related to mental health conditions through means of education, spreading awareness, and managing workshops at various levels such as schools, colleges, and corporates.
