Under the shadow of the verdant hills that surround the Imphal valley in Manipur, Khundongbam Palin has built, from scratch over the last two decades, the state's largest private hospital.
But the ongoing economic blockade of India's North Eastern province, for over two months, has brought with it uncertainties that are threatening to wilt one of Manipur's most successful entrepreneurial stories in recent years.
Back in 1984, Palin sub-leased a small chamber, adjoining a pharmacy in Imphal's Paona Bazaar, for Rs 5,000 to begin a private practice that has grown into the 176-bedded Shija Hospitals & Research Institute.
Earlier this year, Palin was awarded the Indian Chamber of Commerce's North East Excellence Award in the entrepreneur segment.
“Since then, about Rs 40 crore has been spent on establishing the hospital. We are now the largest private hospital in Manipur, and some of the services and facilities that are provided at Shija are unmatched in this region,” claims Palin.
Imphal's two largest hospital include the state government administered 200-bedded Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital and the 881-bedded Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, which is a joint venture of the Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh governments.
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Between 2006-08 alone, almost Rs 10 crore were pumped into the construction of the hospital and research institute buildings, and after the financially-difficult initial years, the cash-flow has only just returned to anticipated levels. In 2009-10, Shija recorded a turnover of close to Rs 20 crore.
“We still have substantial liabilities,” says Palin, without divulging details, only to add that he is already contemplating another expansion of the establishment that will bring state-of-the-art cardiac and infertility treatment into the state, among other facilities.
In the immediate, however, Palin has to contend with a significantly greater challenge: that of keeping his hospital open and his patients alive.
The economic blockade of Manipur, since April this year, has meant that the regular supply-chain that services the establishment has been ruptured and the available supplies are dangerously low.
“We are the largest user of medical gas in the state, and we are running out of these. At present, there are 10 patients in our ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and three on ventilators. We need oxygen if they have to be kept alive,” he explains.
Shija Hospitals & Research Institute also employs about 500 individuals, and many of them have been asked not to report to work till the situation improves.
It is not just the balance-sheet of the firm which stands a chance of being marred by the current crisis; Palin's larger blueprint for attracting medical tourists into the state, which has precious little in terms of private investment, may also have to be altered.
“Why would patients want to come into such a turbulent area? This (sort of situation) is the biggest stumbling block for medical tourism in Manipur. But we are strategically located for getting patients not just from the North East, but also from neighbouring countries,” says Palin. There are eight patients from Myanmar currently admitted in his hospital. But, despite the tribulations of being an entrepreneur in the near-chronically troubled state, the doctor refuses to yield. Instead, he is working around his problems. “I am now looking at establishing a small (medical) gas facility on the premises, so that our internal requirements can be met. Maybe, we could also be in a position to supply to other hospitals in the state,” he adds.
There is still hope in Manipur and, for entrepreneurs like Palin, money to be made.