Leader By Default, Doctor By Choice

He can aptly be called Kerala’s answer to Apollo Hospitals’ Prathap C Reddy. From a clinic setup in Dubai 30 years ago, Dr. Azad Moopen has come a long way to lead a healthcare conglomerate spread over different countries. But even as he has put on the garb of a business leader, he seldom belies the physician in him, underscoring the need to strike a balance between profit and principles. Here, in a candid conversation with Destination Kerala, this truly global Malayali touches upon every aspect of the institution he has built and his journey

- Jose Kunnappally

I am ushered into an aesthetically appointed office on the 33rd floor of Aspect Tower in Dubai’s Business Bay one fine morning in April 2017. From the windows one can see most of the bustling city getting ready at a feverish pace for Expo 2020.

“Let us address the controversies towards the end of the session and start on a positive note,” says Dr. Azad Moopen, Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, even before I have asked my first question. He is pegged #7 in the Forbes Middle East Top 100 Indian Business Leaders in the Arab World 2017.

Padma Shri awardee Dr. Moopen, aged 64, heads a healthcare conglomerate which runs a network of 307 operating facilities across nine countries which include 19 hospitals (Aster, Medcare), 95 clinics (Access) and 202 retail pharmacies (Aster). Aster DM Healthcare has ~20,000 employees, including 2161 doctors, as of May 2017. In India, Aster Medcity (Kochi), Aster MIMS (Kozhikode and Kottakal), DM WIMS (Wayanad), Aster CMI Hospital (Bengaluru), Aster Prime Hospital (Hyderabad), Aster Aadhar Hospital (Kolhapur) and Aster Ramesh Hospitals (Guntur and Vijayawada) complete the network.

LOOKING BACK

I start by asking him how the industry has changed in the last three decades? What are the major transformational shifts that he sees? Dr. Moopen, after completing medical education in India, started his career as a teacher (Kozhikode Medical College), a job he performed for five years. It’s been 30 years since he moved to the UAE and started a single-physician clinic.