Charnock Healthcare Institute: Changing the Face of Nursing Practice in India
Prashant Sharma, Managing Director Charnock Healthcare Institute
Offering Nursing, Paramedical and Administrative education, Charnock Healthcare Institute located in Kolkata, the 'City of Joy,' is a unique medical education institute that has been creating quality workers for all levels of healthcare delivery. The institute changes the face of nursing education in the country by preparing professionals to deliver the highest quality care - care that is guided by research, intellect and passion.
The economic prosperity of a country and the quality of its healthcare services are correlated. Right from the primary to the tertiary level, greater coverage and better quality of healthcare are essential prerequisites for improving the quality of life of the population at large, which in turn, eventually affects the economic growth of the country. To achieve this, we need an adequate volume of quality workforce. At present, India needs to open 600 medical colleges (100 seats per college) and 1,500 nursing colleges (60 seats per college) on an immediate basis to meet the global average of 1.3 physicians and 2.56 nurses per 1,000 people in the coming 15 years.
While, most of our existing skilled medical workforce is being sought out by countries in Europe and the Middle East, Indian healthcare industry is feeling the heat, as India faces an acute shortage of over 64 lakh skilled human resources in the health sector. Charnock Hospital, a well-known tertiary care hospital in North Kolkata, was also under the fire due the massive shortage in getting quality healthcare professionals. The governing body of the Charnock Hospital, however, was not ready wait until the healthcare education system to flourish and provide them with the necessary human resource to bridge the gap between the 'required' and the 'actual.' Instead, they created a unique medical education institute named Charnock Healthcare Institute to prepared quality professionals for all levels of the healthcare delivery.
CHI has a capacity of 1020 students, has 16 classrooms along with the most modern audio-video equipment installed in each classroom, seven laboratories making it truly unparalleled in the region.
Prashant Sharma, Managing Director, Charnock Hospital says, "Coming from the healthcare industry, we are well aware of the nuances, the demand-supply gap between industry requirements and institutes that churn out such healthcare professionals. It is after experiencing first hand, how desperately healthcare industry needs quality personnel to fulfil this gap, we established Charnock Healthcare Institute." Setting up an education institute was not the only available option for the Charnock Hospital.
Like other hospitals, Charnock Hospital did try bringing in people from other parts of the country like Kerala, North East and so on. The cultural differences, overseas placements, poaching, language problems and more, however, were always posing hurdles."Now, this problem of shortage of skilled manpower is being faced by other hospitals too, sometimes in a much larger way. Therefore, we modified our strategy for the Charnock Healthcare Institute: which would now cater to the requirements of the entire healthcare industry by providing high quality healthcare professionals in all fields - Nursing, Paramedics and Administration," states Sharma.
Creating a New Path
The healthcare domain in Eastern India is at a turning point and it strides towards progress. Looking ahead for an optimal infrastructural transformation coupled with high-end technological services, the eastern region healthcare fraternity is burgeoning towards a robust growth. West Bengal and North Eastern states have repositioned itself as a forward-looking state and they are enabling to become a major healthcare hub for neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal, as these regions healthcare services are yet to achieve desired levels. "Indian healthcare delivery is comparible to the best in the world. Our hospitals and clinical services are second to none. But, this shortage of skilled and quality manpower greatly diminishes our chances of providing the best of services," says Sharma.
At Charnock Healthcare Institute, the environment is like a corporate office of any MNC. Sharma adds, "The institute is compatible to any top institute of the world in terms of infrastructure (most of our foreign visitors have commented so). The idea behind such a high investment in infrastructure is - that when the student passes out from CHI, she should already be accustomed to the corporate environment. The hosptial she will go to, will be having a similar environment."
A first-of-its-kind initiative in Eastern India, Charnock Healthcare Institute (CHI) is not a concept anymore. The institute has become reality with a firm determination to stand taller than a lot of its kind. The institute offers a world-class campus located in New Town, Kolkata with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The institute has a capacity of 1020 students, has 16 classrooms along with the most modern audio-video equipment installed in each classroom, seven laboratories making it truly unparalleled in the region. It is a centrally AC campus with Wi-Fi Internet. "As we are hospital that has expanded its wings to the education sector, our focus is only on healthcare. We know what kinds of personnel are required by the healthcare sector and our agenda is very clear - Creating a talented workforce for the healthcare sector," claims Sharma.
Changing the Face of Nursing Practice
Charnock School of Nursing is a unit of the Charnock Healthcare Institute, which aims to develop expert nursing professionals to meet the future requirement of the health care industry. The institute started the General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course with the affiliation of Indian Nursing Council (INC) and West Bengal Nursing Council (WBNC) from the session 2011 under Charnock Hospital with an annual intake of 30 students followed by enhancement of 20 and 10 seats from the years 2012 and 2014 consecutively. At present,Charnock School of Nursing has an annual intake of 60 students and its first batch of GNM students have successfully graduated in the year 2015.
"Modern nursing is a dynamic, therapeutic and educative process of the health professionals, which functions in conjunction with other health care agencies in assisting individuals; families and communities to achieve and maintain desirable standards of health. We believe that the basic course of Nursing is a formal, educational preparation, which should be based on educational principles, advanced technology and sciences," says Sharma. The School of Nursing is situated in a separate building, at a suitable distance from the Charnock Hospital. The institute's classrooms are spacious and air conditioned, Laboratories are well-equipped with adequate teaching and learning materials.
Today, the institute also offers B.Sc Nursing, a 4-year degree course. Through this course, the students are trained to practice the current concept of nursing and gain complete knowledge in various aspects of nursing and can provide a holistic care to the patients and to their families. "B.Sc Nursing students are mostly preferred for the specialized positions in different hospitals. There is a great demand of B.Sc nursing qualified personnel in the healthcare sectors both Public and Private," claims Sharma. The institute has provided the students with the best faculty and world-class infrastructure to encourage and motivate them to achieve excellence in this field.Nursing school boasts of excellent library with latest text and reference books, journals and periodicals. The library also has affiliation with the British Council Library, so that the student can get access to the online books and other resources of it.
Sharma adds, "The first batch of the students has received their clinical experience in the esteemed R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.As the institute is also affiliated to the State Medical Colleges and Hospitals, Hospitals of District level, Block Primary Health Centre and Municipal Hospital, the students will get a wide range of exposure in practical field for extensive training."
Today, Charnock Healthcare Institute upholds all the characteristics needed to impart best quality education and training to the aspiring student nurses and prepare them for this noble profession. The Institute trains nurses to a qualified and specialized level, with the key aim of learning to develop observation skills and sensitivity to patient needs, and then allow them to work in hospitals across India and abroad. Unequivocally, this esteemed institution recognizes the need for talented and skilled workforce for the healthcare sector throughout the country and aims to deliver it.
Prashant Sharma, Managing Director
An MBA Graduate from the prestigious Indian School of Business, Sharma is the Managing Director of SKM Group as well as Charnock Hospital. SKM Group is a closely held diversified business house having multiple and diversified businesses: Iron Ore Mines, Steel Plant, Hospital, Hotel, School, College, Real Estate, Cold Storages and so on. Under his leadership, the group is growing with strong roots, firm footing and strategic ambitions with practical approach. Charnock Hospital, New Town, Kolkata is a super-specialty hospital with 250 beds, 70 Critical Care beds, 7 modular OTs, Full Time Doctors incorporating best practices as per NABH & NABL standards.
The economic prosperity of a country and the quality of its healthcare services are correlated. Right from the primary to the tertiary level, greater coverage and better quality of healthcare are essential prerequisites for improving the quality of life of the population at large, which in turn, eventually affects the economic growth of the country. To achieve this, we need an adequate volume of quality workforce. At present, India needs to open 600 medical colleges (100 seats per college) and 1,500 nursing colleges (60 seats per college) on an immediate basis to meet the global average of 1.3 physicians and 2.56 nurses per 1,000 people in the coming 15 years.
While, most of our existing skilled medical workforce is being sought out by countries in Europe and the Middle East, Indian healthcare industry is feeling the heat, as India faces an acute shortage of over 64 lakh skilled human resources in the health sector. Charnock Hospital, a well-known tertiary care hospital in North Kolkata, was also under the fire due the massive shortage in getting quality healthcare professionals. The governing body of the Charnock Hospital, however, was not ready wait until the healthcare education system to flourish and provide them with the necessary human resource to bridge the gap between the 'required' and the 'actual.' Instead, they created a unique medical education institute named Charnock Healthcare Institute to prepared quality professionals for all levels of the healthcare delivery.
CHI has a capacity of 1020 students, has 16 classrooms along with the most modern audio-video equipment installed in each classroom, seven laboratories making it truly unparalleled in the region.
Prashant Sharma, Managing Director, Charnock Hospital says, "Coming from the healthcare industry, we are well aware of the nuances, the demand-supply gap between industry requirements and institutes that churn out such healthcare professionals. It is after experiencing first hand, how desperately healthcare industry needs quality personnel to fulfil this gap, we established Charnock Healthcare Institute." Setting up an education institute was not the only available option for the Charnock Hospital.
Like other hospitals, Charnock Hospital did try bringing in people from other parts of the country like Kerala, North East and so on. The cultural differences, overseas placements, poaching, language problems and more, however, were always posing hurdles."Now, this problem of shortage of skilled manpower is being faced by other hospitals too, sometimes in a much larger way. Therefore, we modified our strategy for the Charnock Healthcare Institute: which would now cater to the requirements of the entire healthcare industry by providing high quality healthcare professionals in all fields - Nursing, Paramedics and Administration," states Sharma.
Creating a New Path
The healthcare domain in Eastern India is at a turning point and it strides towards progress. Looking ahead for an optimal infrastructural transformation coupled with high-end technological services, the eastern region healthcare fraternity is burgeoning towards a robust growth. West Bengal and North Eastern states have repositioned itself as a forward-looking state and they are enabling to become a major healthcare hub for neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal, as these regions healthcare services are yet to achieve desired levels. "Indian healthcare delivery is comparible to the best in the world. Our hospitals and clinical services are second to none. But, this shortage of skilled and quality manpower greatly diminishes our chances of providing the best of services," says Sharma.
At Charnock Healthcare Institute, the environment is like a corporate office of any MNC. Sharma adds, "The institute is compatible to any top institute of the world in terms of infrastructure (most of our foreign visitors have commented so). The idea behind such a high investment in infrastructure is - that when the student passes out from CHI, she should already be accustomed to the corporate environment. The hosptial she will go to, will be having a similar environment."
A first-of-its-kind initiative in Eastern India, Charnock Healthcare Institute (CHI) is not a concept anymore. The institute has become reality with a firm determination to stand taller than a lot of its kind. The institute offers a world-class campus located in New Town, Kolkata with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The institute has a capacity of 1020 students, has 16 classrooms along with the most modern audio-video equipment installed in each classroom, seven laboratories making it truly unparalleled in the region. It is a centrally AC campus with Wi-Fi Internet. "As we are hospital that has expanded its wings to the education sector, our focus is only on healthcare. We know what kinds of personnel are required by the healthcare sector and our agenda is very clear - Creating a talented workforce for the healthcare sector," claims Sharma.
Changing the Face of Nursing Practice
Charnock School of Nursing is a unit of the Charnock Healthcare Institute, which aims to develop expert nursing professionals to meet the future requirement of the health care industry. The institute started the General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course with the affiliation of Indian Nursing Council (INC) and West Bengal Nursing Council (WBNC) from the session 2011 under Charnock Hospital with an annual intake of 30 students followed by enhancement of 20 and 10 seats from the years 2012 and 2014 consecutively. At present,Charnock School of Nursing has an annual intake of 60 students and its first batch of GNM students have successfully graduated in the year 2015.
"Modern nursing is a dynamic, therapeutic and educative process of the health professionals, which functions in conjunction with other health care agencies in assisting individuals; families and communities to achieve and maintain desirable standards of health. We believe that the basic course of Nursing is a formal, educational preparation, which should be based on educational principles, advanced technology and sciences," says Sharma. The School of Nursing is situated in a separate building, at a suitable distance from the Charnock Hospital. The institute's classrooms are spacious and air conditioned, Laboratories are well-equipped with adequate teaching and learning materials.
Today, the institute also offers B.Sc Nursing, a 4-year degree course. Through this course, the students are trained to practice the current concept of nursing and gain complete knowledge in various aspects of nursing and can provide a holistic care to the patients and to their families. "B.Sc Nursing students are mostly preferred for the specialized positions in different hospitals. There is a great demand of B.Sc nursing qualified personnel in the healthcare sectors both Public and Private," claims Sharma. The institute has provided the students with the best faculty and world-class infrastructure to encourage and motivate them to achieve excellence in this field.Nursing school boasts of excellent library with latest text and reference books, journals and periodicals. The library also has affiliation with the British Council Library, so that the student can get access to the online books and other resources of it.
Sharma adds, "The first batch of the students has received their clinical experience in the esteemed R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital.As the institute is also affiliated to the State Medical Colleges and Hospitals, Hospitals of District level, Block Primary Health Centre and Municipal Hospital, the students will get a wide range of exposure in practical field for extensive training."
Today, Charnock Healthcare Institute upholds all the characteristics needed to impart best quality education and training to the aspiring student nurses and prepare them for this noble profession. The Institute trains nurses to a qualified and specialized level, with the key aim of learning to develop observation skills and sensitivity to patient needs, and then allow them to work in hospitals across India and abroad. Unequivocally, this esteemed institution recognizes the need for talented and skilled workforce for the healthcare sector throughout the country and aims to deliver it.
Prashant Sharma, Managing Director
An MBA Graduate from the prestigious Indian School of Business, Sharma is the Managing Director of SKM Group as well as Charnock Hospital. SKM Group is a closely held diversified business house having multiple and diversified businesses: Iron Ore Mines, Steel Plant, Hospital, Hotel, School, College, Real Estate, Cold Storages and so on. Under his leadership, the group is growing with strong roots, firm footing and strategic ambitions with practical approach. Charnock Hospital, New Town, Kolkata is a super-specialty hospital with 250 beds, 70 Critical Care beds, 7 modular OTs, Full Time Doctors incorporating best practices as per NABH & NABL standards.
