Dr NC Borah‘s diligence, dedication, hard work and entrepreneurial abilities have made GNRC one of the leading healthcare providers in the North Eastern part of the country. His children – Priyanka, Satabdee and Madhurya Borah, are also gung ho about taking their father’s legacy to greater heights in times to come. By Raelene Kambli
Dr NC Borah’s GNRC Hospital Group, which started off as a clinic in the 1980s, has taken great strides, battling the hostile environment, to emerge as a dependable centre of excellence. Its services extend to Assam and the North Eastern states as well as the neighbouring South East Asian countries of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, who lack super speciality, tertiary healthcare facilities.
But, how does he plan to keep up the growth momentum? What is the way forward for the GNRC Group? Do his three children, daughters Priyanka and Satabdee and son Madhurya, share his vision and passion for healthcare? If yes, how are they being groomed to take over from their illustrious father and take his venture to greater glory? We seek to find answers to these questions in our continuing series of next generation leaders.
However, before we delve into the future, a sneak peek into how it all began…
An illustrious journey
Dr Borah’s life story has seen three interesting metamorphoses — one that was an arduous journey of a marginal farmer’s son to become a doctor, second, when a gifted doctor becomes a successful healthcare entrepreneur and third, the transformation of a successful healthcare entrepreneur becomes a social entrepreneur.
In his career that spans for more than 40 years, he built a business empire that presently includes GNRC Hospital Dispur, Asian Institute of Nursing Education, Medishop Retail Chain, GNRC Sixmile and GNRC Institute of Medical Sciences, a 1200-bedded facility which commenced operations in early 2014 at North Guwahati. Moreover, GNRC’s recent initiative was also recognised by the World Bank Group (WBG), through its India Development Marketplace (IDM) initiative, to receive a grant of $150,000 to help scale its operating model. This campus, popularly known as GNRC Medical, provides affordable access to quality healthcare services through an ultra-low-cost model. Interestingly, GNRC Medical is close to achieving operational break-even within just 18 months of commencing operations. Additionally, last year GNRC, signed a MoU with Mumbai-based Pawan Hans for an air ambulance and medical outreach programme using helicopters to remote areas of North-East India. The service is expected to facilitate at the doorstep to communities living in difficult-to-access locations across the region. Thus,Dr Borah, as the founder and Chariman of GNRC Hospitals, is heralding a healthcare renaissance in the state of Assam and adjourning areas with his professional expertise, dedication and excellent business skills. As a social entrepreneur, his every step is towards making a positive contribution to society. His vision is ‘Health for All, Smiles for All’
Building a legacy
Thus, Dr Borah has built a formidable legacy. His younger daughter Satabdee says, “My father’s legacy spans over almost four decades. It started with him entering into healthcare as a medical student, teaching healthcare, setting up his own clinic which expanded into a thriving organisation and now spanning over three hospitals. My father has brought about a radical change in the healthcare system. From his experience of 40 years in the healthcare industry, he has come up with revolutionary ideas and implemented them. We are now seeing them succeed.”
Elder daughter, Priyanka chips in, “His numerous projects have become success stories of their own and have created the pathway for others. Examples include the Medireach project, Medishop (the first chain of retail drug stores that was launched in North-East India stocking both medicines and FMCG products), executive health cards, etc. He has also been known to have the ‘Midas touch’ as a mentor. I say this because I have seen how clinicians, who were not given a second chance as a doctor, have been slowly and steadily groomed by him and reached to the position of head of their units in their respective fields. He has always believed more than IQ it is EQ that makes a successful person stand out from the crowd.”
Grooming GNRC’s future
Joining the father’s business was an obvious choice for Priyanka and Satabdee. But how is Dr Borah grooming his children to live up to it? It is said that parents are supposed to provide their children with roots to hold them strong in values, and wings so that they can fly high and reach new heights. So, how has Dr Borah, as a father, made this possible for his children?
Dr Borah shares a very special relationship with his kids. He has not only set an example for them but also given them the freedom to choose their path. “I treat my children as individuals. I love them and respect their personal choices, their likes and dislikes. I do not interfere unless it is against the basic principles which I adore. I advise my children and they review their decisions accordingly,” he shares. He adds, “I tried to understand what interested my children the most without influencing them. My role has been of a facilitator. I intended to help them in whatever they wanted to do in their life so that they become successful. All my children expressed their interest to work in healthcare and pursue it as a profession as well. This is when I sent my eldest daughter Priyanka to Sheffield University to study a course in management. After coming back from the university, she joined GNRC Hospital and started working in various departments to get first-hand experience. My second daughter, Satabdee, is a commerce graduate and was studying to be a chartered accountant. During her articleship in a hospital as a trainee chartered accountant, she told me that she would like to pursue healthcare instead. However, she informed me that she was not keen on Biology. I guided her and provided her the platform to overlook housekeeping, pharmacy, finance, operation theaters and intensive care units. She has worked in various departments of the hospital for two years. She wanted to opt for a Healthcare Management course and is currently pursuing a Master’s course in International Healthcare Leadership from McGill University. At the same time, she is continuing her job at GNRC as well. My youngest son, Madhurya, wanted to become a neurologist. When he passed out his higher secondary examination, I asked him the reason he wanted to become a neurologist. He said it’s an honorable profession. I thought I must help him to become a successful neurologist. He is still pursuing his studies and giving his final examination. He is interested in the services that GNRC Hospital provides to the people. Whatever he pursues in the future, he will come back and work for GNRC Hospital and I will help him to do that.”
Seeing entrepreneurs in his kids
So, what are the roles played by his children in the business?
Dr Borah informs, “All my three children are being groomed in three different ways. My eldest daughter’s focus is operational issues. She loves to work on it. My second daughter, Satabdee, takes care of growth and expansion. She has the entrepreneurial ability, a strong focus and is well-connected with the concept of ‘Patient First’. At the same time, she is interested in creating awareness of the GNRC brand across the length and breadth of the country and beyond. She is well connected with the international community. According to me, she is the right person to do that job in the future. My son, although not very active, has a very strong entrepreneurial trait. I think he will be a very formidable force in the growth and expansion of the GNRC Hospital. He shall reach the territories where I have not been able to establish the GNRC brand.”
Filling daddy’s shoes
Entering their father’s business was a obvious choice yet was a difficult decision for Dr Borah’s children. Meeting their father’s expectations and carving a niche for themselves is a huge challenge.
So, how do they tackle it?
Satabdee says, “The challenges have been on a macro and micro level. The one on a macro level has been the acceptability of stakeholders towards the unique healthcare model of GNRC. This includes not only the patients but also investors and other stakeholders who need to have a belief in the model. This is a time-consuming process that has begun recently and it takes a while to set up its foundation. Alignment to the vision is also a challenge. Since this is a first generation entrepreneurial venture, the beliefs of the employees hinges on the personality and the life of the entrepreneur. This is a challenge on a micro-level. We are the second generation of entrepreneurs. Hence, we face a challenge of bringing about a mechanical structure in the organisation wherein protocols are set up; systems are followed in a mechanical order and
not just on the strength of the entrepreneur or the promoter,” reveals Satabdee.
Priyanka says, “Like any other child of a successful parentage, I too had a lot of challenges growing up. Professionally, the most challenging ones were continuously living up to not just his, but beyond stakeholders’ expectations. Also, gaining respect and trust from his contemporaries, senior people in the organisation, doctors, as an individual rather than his daughter and proving my credibility.”
His kids have been strongly inspired by his business skills. Both Priyanka and Satabdee believe in their dad’s principle of not having any short-cuts to success. Talking about the lessons learnt from her dad, Priyanka says, “My father firmly believes that in order to achieve success in your endeavours, you need to be focussed and determined about your goals and objectives and always have clarity on the strategy to achieve them. Another important fact I learnt from my father is that he becomes very restless with stagnation. Be it academics, medical ‘best-practice’, facilities provided to the patients and their families. He is a firm believer that continuous change is the only way to bring in growth and development in an organisation.” Satabdee adds, “I have learnt other crucial things in life such as how to run a business with principles and maintaining your integrity, regardless of the outside environment and other factors.
Well, families working as a team has its own challenges and benefits. “My children have been able to take up more significant roles in operational issues such as interacting with doctors, staff, patients and other stakeholders of the hospital. This has allowed me to focus on researching and finding solutions for crucial issues in healthcare. Most of the private hospitals are beyond the reach of the common man. Currently, there is no answer to the problem. It required in-depth interaction with communities on a large scale which I could do, as my children took care of routine work. My achievement has been the creation of a new healthcare model which is acknowledged by the international community, World Bank and philanthropists like Bill Gates. They feel this is the right kind of model that links primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare where quality healthcare can be made accessible and affordable to the people. It has also given me the time to think about ‘Health for All, Smiles for All’, for which we are all working together,” informs Dr Borah, speaking on how his children help him in the business.
But the success of any venture can only be judged by the progress of the brand in recent times. However, for Priyanka, Satabdee and Madhurya it is a long journey. But they need not worry because their guiding light is shining upon them. Nevertheless to prove their ability, Priyanka, Satabdee and Madhurya have set some goals.
Vision for tomorrow
From here on, Priyanka aims to make GNRC the most preferred brand in the South East Asian countries. Satabdee, on the other hand, has set a goal for the next five years. She intends to develop the North Guwahati campus and starting new projects in different parts of the country and within the next two decades she wishes to see this model in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Africa and any other country where we get the opportunity.
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