Fortis Healthcare recently announced that Dr Bishnu Panigrahi – Group Head, Medical Strategy and Operations, has decided to move on from the services of the company in order to make a more substantial contribution to society.

For more than 6 years, Dr Panigrahi spearheaded medical operations at Fortis Healthcare. He was instrumental in making Fortis, the destination of choice for those seeking medical services in India. Apart from several other accomplishments, a hallmark of his tenure and a defining initiative was the publishing of Clinical outcomes. Fortis was the first healthcare service provider in India, to do so.

As part of the working group at International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM), Dr Panigrahi and the team were responsible for conceptualizing the standard sets for Coronary Artery Disease outcome measurement. These standard sets were rolled out in November 2013 at Harvard Business School, Boston by Prof. Michael E. Porter. Dr Panigrahi has also fostered the Anti-Microbial Stewardship program since its inception and helped institutionalize a comprehensive Medical Audit system.

As a school boy in Odisha, Dr Panigrahi aspired to become a Foreign Service officer. However, a series of events and life-changing experiences inspired him to become take up medicine as a profession. After graduating from S.C.B Medical College, Cuttack, Dr Panigrahi pursued post-graduation in Anesthesia from the reputed Delhi University. Subsequently, he went on to receive further training in Cardiac and Neuro Anesthesia from Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology. It was during 12 years of teaching at his alma mater in Cuttack that he got the opportunity to enhance his skills and work in Cardiac Anesthesia and Intensive Care at Dunedin Hospital, OTAGO University in New Zealand. However, in spite of being offered a rewarding career in New Zealand, he decided to come back and serve his country.

Dr Panigrahi has the distinction of being a part of 3 major healthcare service providers in India, at their inception stage which have gone on to become the largest service providers, namely, Indraprastha Apollo, Fortis and Max.  After 25 years in corporate world, life has come a full circle for Dr Panigrahi as he decides to go back to his roots in Bhubaneswar to work in a not-for-profit academic institution and serve the society.