Arafat Faisal is a doctor whose quest for learning did not mature at the completion of his MBBS itself. His likeness and bent towards management of healthcare institutions persuaded him to continue with his journey of learning with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Currently, he is pursuing Masters in Hospital Administration with the reputed institute at Mumbai. Presently, as a part of his curriculum, he is doing his internship with a hospital in Mumbai.

1. Arafat Faisal is a Doctor whose quest for learning did not mature at the completion of his MBBS itself. His likeness
and bent towards management of healthcare institutions persuaded him to continue with his journey of learning with
the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Currently, he is pursuing Masters in Hospital Administration with the reputed
institute at Mumbai. Presently, as a part of his curriculum, he is doing his internship with a hospital in Mumbai.
We bring you his exclusive interview with MBAclubindia:
1. You chose to do a Masters in Hospital Administration after your MBBS. That's quite off-beat and what made you
choose this program?
Actually, while I was doing my MBBS, from the first semester itself I was fascinated by the administration side of our
huge healthcare setup (I am a passout from Gauhati Medical College and Hospital), plus medicine as such failed to
generate much interest in me. During my graduation itself, I had made up my mind to go for management education
and opt out of conventional post graduate degrees in various aspects of medicine. Also management offers a career
in which a person gets awarded for his efforts much early in life than doing a PG. Also the booming healthcare
sectors demands doctors to be as adept in management as in medicine. All these factors played a combined role in
my taking this career choice.
2. Are you enjoying the curriculum?
My curriculum is very unique, in the sense, the very first day our dean told us, we don’t assist or help in placements
but we will give the values and education required to get through in life. And this has always been the policy of our
school. Looking at the curriculum, its different from other universities in India as we are pressurized to get things done
on time as in other top notch institutes but at the same time we are also assured enough free time in between the
courses so that we enjoy the diversity of our campus and learn from our peers. Also the most fascinating part of our
course is 3 internships each of 2 months duration and each in different sectors of industry so that we learn it first
hand from practice. So answering your question in plain simple words, I do enjoy the course.
3. How is the mix in the class ? And what do you enjoy the most among your peers?
Although the strength of our course is small, we have graduates from all fields of education system right from MBBS
graduates to dentists to biomedical engineers, IT grads, BBM grads, etc. The diversity of opinion that comes out in
our day to day interaction and group tasks is something I enjoy the most among our peers. Besides, even the campus
offers a unique blend of grad from almost all the fields of education. We have people from women studies to
psychology to MA in HR, all having their own preoccupations.
4. What have been the most challenging part of choosing a career change after so much of hard work of becoming an
MBBS ?
On a lighter note, working hard for MBBS actually made me dislike it as I saw the returns on investment is either too
less or too late. So the challenge was always to explore a better option which I found in the form of MHA in TISS.
4. How do you think this will augment your profession?

2. Well statistics show that hospital industry is booming particularly on account of increasing medical tourism to India.
Management grads who have a background of medicine are always in less supply than the actually demand.
Besides, the value addition that this course is giving me is tremendous and as I see it now, the growth opportunities
are also much better than I would have got by going the conventional way.
5. If I were your recruiter, how would you reply to this: Do you feel unethical about not continuing with the profession
of practicing as a MBBS /physician and diverting your career into management already?
Well management of a healthcare setup is as important as providing healthcare. Both are indispensable parts of the
broader picture. With proper management healthcare needs of a larger part of the community can be met with the
same resources and the same number of physicians. Besides, a physician who is trained in business administration
will definitely have a better perspective of healthcare setup than any other graduate. Hence it is not at all unethical,
rather by looking forward to ensuring better quality and better outreach of care; I will actually be contributing to the
society more efficiently than I would have by simply being a physician.
6. What will be your advice to the aspirant MBAs of our professional community?
Well, MBA should never be anyone’s destination; rather it should be your stepping stone for success and growth. No
one should look at it from only the monetary point of view. Rather one should look at it as a value addition to your
skills.