Dr Alexander Thomas honoured with Professor Emeritus title by Indian Medical Association

Dr. Thomas has served the healthcare sector for over four decades, and holds positions in several national associations that address issues within the healthcare sector: he is a Founding Member and Patron of the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI), Association of National BoardAccredited Institutions (ANBAI), and the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO). He has affected far-reaching policy changes within the healthcare landscape.

Talking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Thomas stated, “I am grateful to IMA for honouring me with the award. I have always focused on ensuring quality healthcare on the grassroots level. I have been connected with IMA for the last 15 to 20 years. I have been a member of different IMA Chapters in Bangalore and it’s a pleasure to receive this honour from them.” When asked about his message to the future doctors of the country, he stated, “I think for any doctor it is important to dedicate themselves for the betterment of the patient. A doctor should always consider the patient as the most important aspect in healthcare and they should maintain transparent communication with the patient.”

He played a significant part in incorporating healthcare communication among the NABH Accreditation Standards for Hospitals (4th Edition), introducing communication skills within the MBBS and PG curricula for medical students across India, rolling back the service tax for the health sector and making assaults on doctors a non-bailable offence. Due to his efforts, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had made entry-level accreditation mandatory for the empanelment of hospitals, leading to the potential empanelment of about 33,000 hospitals across India. He is the Chairman of the Health Environment Leadership Platform (HELP) and Chairman, Technical Committee, Grading of Hospitals, Quality Council of India [QCI]. He is the Advisor, Longevity India Advisory Board, an initiative by IISc, Bangalore. Co-Chair – Programme Review and Advisory Committee [PRAC], ISRO, for leveraging ISRO’s specialized skills to build solutions for various problems in the healthcare sector. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Public Health Foundation of India [PHFI].

At the State level, Dr. Thomas played an important role in developing the Karnataka State Public Health Policy as the Member-Secretary of its Task Force. He has led committees for NABH accreditation of government hospitals in Karnataka, the implementation of NBE accreditation for DNB courses in district hospitals of Karnataka, and working towards a tobacco-free Karnataka. He played a key role in engaging with the Government of Karnataka to bring out a patient-centric Clinical Establishment Act, and through FHAK, was able to engage with insurance companies to negotiate reasonable reimbursements for hospitals while ensuring patient safety and quality care.

He has pioneered several training initiatives and certificate courses for healthcare professionals through AHPI and CAHO, as well as in collaboration with PHFI, on different topics such as healthcare quality (adopted by several State governments); healthcare communication; and mental health and substance use disorders, among others. He initiated the first technology course for medical professionals in collaboration with IISC, ISRO and PHFI.

During his tenure as Director (CEO) of the Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH) from 2006-2014, the institution expanded from a small secondary-care hospital to a nationally-recognised 300-bedded multi-specialty operation, winning several prestigious awards in the process. The transformation of BBH under the leadership of Dr. Thomas is now a case study for management students at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B). He has several accolades to his credits including IMA Dr. M. G. Garg All-Time Achievement Award for Outstanding and Distinguished Services in December 2022, Waterfalls Global Award (2022) by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, Emeritus Teacher Award (2014) by the National Board of Examinations, the National Distinguished Services Award (2016) by the Indian Medical Association, and the Lifetime Achievement Award (2018) by the Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO) and received the ANBAI Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), and Suvarna Mahotsav Award, presented by the Government of Karnataka for his excellence in the field of Medicine.