Dr. M.J. ArunKumar: A Neurosurgeon Changing The Face Of The Healthcare In Southern Tamil Nadu
Dr. M.J. Arunkumar
Chairman & Managing Director
A blessed medical professional, Dr. Arunkumar boasts unparalleled experience and advanced surgical skills in the field of Micro neurosurgery & Endoscopic Neurosurgery and technology exposure gained from CMC Vellore and the many workshops he attended in countries like Germany, UK, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and the US. In 2015, he indeed was the first to modernize Neurosurgery in the southern part of Tamil Nadu with the introduction of the German built high-end Neurosurgical microscope Carl Zeiss Pentero 900 with Tumour Fluorescence technology and Intra Operative Angiography (ICG/Flow 800)in Neuro vascular surgeries. Dr. Arunkumar also brought in the Brain and Spine Neuro navigation technology by BrainLab, Germany for the first time to the city of Madurai in the year 2016. The Brain Bypass Surgery (STA-MCA bypass) performed successfully for the first time in southern Tamil Nadu on a 52 year old lady patient in 2018 was just one among the dozens of pioneering medical procedures he performed in Hannah Joseph Hospital over the past decade.
The President(Elect) of the Tamil Nadu Association of Neurological Surgeons (TANS) Dr. Arunkumar has also been an invited Faculty in Neurosurgery for many state and national Neurosurgical conferences. Furthermore, he has authored several national & international peer reviewed publications in the last two decades based on his services and experience in the Neurosurgical field. He has also been the examiner for the Diplomateof National Board of Examinations in Neurosurgery. CEO Insights is delighted to engage in an exclusive interview with an amazing Healthcare Professional, Dr. Arunkumar.
What Inspired You To Establish Hannah Joseph Hospital And What Drives You Today As A Healthpreneur? How Has Been Your Professional Experience Prior To Establishing Your Own Healthcare Institution?
It is my childhood fascination which grew to be my passion towards Neurosurgery that drives me on even today as a Healthpreneur. I completed my graduation and post graduation from the prestigious Christian Medical College Hospital Vellore. I learnt and worked under eminent Neurosurgeons Professor Mathew J Chandy & Professor V Rajshekhar who are my mentors. I came down to start the department of Neurological Sciences at Apollo Hospital, Madurai in the year 2000 and worked there as Consultant Neurosurgeon for eight years. I am indebted to Dr. Pratap C Reddy, Chairman of the Apollo group of hospitals who trusted me to establish the department of Neurosurgery at Madurai at a young age where I worked till 2007. Thereafter I left the Apollo group to start my own healthcare establishment, the Hannah Joseph Hospital in 2008 in memory of my beloved grandmother Shrimathi Hannah Joseph (fondly called as `AnnalAachi' in our family).
The constant need for a Comprehensive Institute for Neurosciences with ultra modern technology is what inspired me to start the Super Specialty hospital in this part of the country, so that people do not need to go to Metropolitan cities to avail advanced technologies for surgeries of the brain and spine/spinal cord. A 150-bed fully equipped facility today it was then started as a 40-bed Neurosciences and Trauma Centre with three ICUs and a Twin Operation Theatre. This hospital (our Registered office now) also had an inhouse multi slice Hi speed CT scanner(GE, US) apart from its state of the art labs, pharmacy and radiology services.
At Apollo hospital, I performed the first Endonasal complete excision of the Pituitary(brain) tumour through the nose scarless(in 2000) without opening the skull for the first time in South Tamil Nadu. Again in the year 2001, I did the first successful microsurgical clipping of the brain aneurysm in southern Tamil Nadu. I take pride in the fact that I have been able to bring in a lot of neurosurgical innovations in those eight years with the Apollo specialty hospital, Madurai. I had developed a new set of protocols that help in
aggressively treating brain and spine injured patients in the intensive care units which turned out to be very successful in this region of southern Tamil Nadu.
You Kept Your Stellar Reputation In Neurosciences Intact After Establishing Hannah Joseph Hospital. Could You Walk Us Through Some Of The Modern, High Tech Surgeries That You Have Performed At Hannah Joseph Hospital?
In July 2008, soon after the inauguration of the hospital, we performed a complex multilevel cervical spine surgery, and a year after a Transfacial surgery to remove a skull base tumor was performed for the first time in South Tamil Nadu along with my Oral & Maxillofacial surgical colleagues. In the same year, we performed the first pediatric brain aneurysm clipping on a 12-year old school girl. Over the past more than a decade, we have been continuing our high tech approach, performing a significant number of first time surgeries and methods. Recently, in July 2021, we successfully performed the Neuroendovascular intervention for a brain aneurysm treatment using ‘Silk Vista' for the first time in South India (fifth time in our country) on a middle aged patient. This product was launched for the first time in Europe only six months earlier.
In fact, we have always been at the forefront of introducing world class healthcare technologies, methodologies and tools ever since the hospital was established. From introducing the concept of minimally invasive neurosurgery in the field of brain and spine surgeries in this part of Tamil Nadu using advanced gadgets procured including anesthesia workstation (Drager, Germany) and completing 300 surgeries in a year on a success rate at par with our national institutes and the West, to recently integrating a state-of-art-the-art complex for Neurosciences, Cardiac sciences, Orthopedics and Traumatology apart from the division of Interventional Neuroradiology with the introduction of the Hybrid Neuro Cardiac Cathlab from Philips and the Digital MRI (1.5 Tesla) also from Philips. This also includesremoving a brain tumour completely from an adult using local anaesthesia and brain mapping with the patient fully conscious (Awake Craniotomy) during the entire two and a half hour procedure successfully for the first time in South Tamil Nadu, among dozens of other firsts in the region.
How Would You Define Hannah Joseph Hospital As A Healthcare Institution? What Are The Unique Aspects That Patients Are Entitled To?
Hannah Joseph Hospital is undoubtedly one of the finest hi tech super specialty hospitals for Neurosciences and Trauma in South India. It incorporates all facilities for performing brain and spine surgeries, treating complex cases of Neurology, including a comprehensive protocol backed up by the well equipped Neuro ICUs with 60 beds supported by ventilators, ICP monitors, as well as dialysis (CRRT) and ECMO back up. The hospital also has one of the most advanced Digital MRI systems from Philips, a Hybrid Neuro Cardio Cathlab from Philips, a 32 slice CT scanner and Digital radiography from Siemens. There are five operation theatres with laminar airflow catering to Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Orthopedic and Trauma surgeries fitted with Maquet lighting systems and operating tables with GE and Drager workstations for delivering Anaesthesia to the patients.
The hospital also has IONM Intra Operative Neuro Monitoring) devices for brain and spinal cord monitoring during surgeries on these vital structures, in addition to the most advanced Pentero 900 Microscope by Carl Zeiss, Germany which has fluorescence technology to identify and isolate brain tumours, as well as intra operative ICG colour video Angiography/ Flow 800 system in built for facilitating surgeries on aneurysms, AVMs and other vascular malformations of the brain. The hospital also incorporates a Neuronavigation system from Brainlab, Germany for navigation guided surgeries for complex brain tumours and spine fracture stabilisations and fixations. Furthermore, we have a team of Neurosurgeons, Neuro Anesthesiologists, Neurologists Interventional Neurora diologist & Neuro rehabilitation consultants to take care of the Neuro patients and the Cardiologists, Cardio thoracic surgeon & Cardiac anesthesio logists to handle the newly started Advanced Cardiac sciences institute.
What Are The Major Challenges You Have Experienced In Your Journey So Far? How Did You Overcome Them And What Did You Learn From Them?
As Madurai is not my hometown, I started with very few friends and contacts. It was rather tough to establish as a Neuro surgeon when there is already a well established
You Kept Your Stellar Reputation In Neurosciences Intact After Establishing Hannah Joseph Hospital. Could You Walk Us Through Some Of The Modern, High Tech Surgeries That You Have Performed At Hannah Joseph Hospital?
In July 2008, soon after the inauguration of the hospital, we performed a complex multilevel cervical spine surgery, and a year after a Transfacial surgery to remove a skull base tumor was performed for the first time in South Tamil Nadu along with my Oral & Maxillofacial surgical colleagues. In the same year, we performed the first pediatric brain aneurysm clipping on a 12-year old school girl. Over the past more than a decade, we have been continuing our high tech approach, performing a significant number of first time surgeries and methods. Recently, in July 2021, we successfully performed the Neuroendovascular intervention for a brain aneurysm treatment using ‘Silk Vista' for the first time in South India (fifth time in our country) on a middle aged patient. This product was launched for the first time in Europe only six months earlier.
It incorporates all facilities for performing brain and spine surgeries, treating complex cases of Neurology, including a comprehensive protocol backed up by the well-equipped Neuro ICUs with 60 beds, 25 ventilators, ICP monitors, as well as dialysis (CRRT) and ECMO back up
In fact, we have always been at the forefront of introducing world class healthcare technologies, methodologies and tools ever since the hospital was established. From introducing the concept of minimally invasive neurosurgery in the field of brain and spine surgeries in this part of Tamil Nadu using advanced gadgets procured including anesthesia workstation (Drager, Germany) and completing 300 surgeries in a year on a success rate at par with our national institutes and the West, to recently integrating a state-of-art-the-art complex for Neurosciences, Cardiac sciences, Orthopedics and Traumatology apart from the division of Interventional Neuroradiology with the introduction of the Hybrid Neuro Cardiac Cathlab from Philips and the Digital MRI (1.5 Tesla) also from Philips. This also includesremoving a brain tumour completely from an adult using local anaesthesia and brain mapping with the patient fully conscious (Awake Craniotomy) during the entire two and a half hour procedure successfully for the first time in South Tamil Nadu, among dozens of other firsts in the region.
How Would You Define Hannah Joseph Hospital As A Healthcare Institution? What Are The Unique Aspects That Patients Are Entitled To?
Hannah Joseph Hospital is undoubtedly one of the finest hi tech super specialty hospitals for Neurosciences and Trauma in South India. It incorporates all facilities for performing brain and spine surgeries, treating complex cases of Neurology, including a comprehensive protocol backed up by the well equipped Neuro ICUs with 60 beds supported by ventilators, ICP monitors, as well as dialysis (CRRT) and ECMO back up. The hospital also has one of the most advanced Digital MRI systems from Philips, a Hybrid Neuro Cardio Cathlab from Philips, a 32 slice CT scanner and Digital radiography from Siemens. There are five operation theatres with laminar airflow catering to Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Orthopedic and Trauma surgeries fitted with Maquet lighting systems and operating tables with GE and Drager workstations for delivering Anaesthesia to the patients.
The hospital also has IONM Intra Operative Neuro Monitoring) devices for brain and spinal cord monitoring during surgeries on these vital structures, in addition to the most advanced Pentero 900 Microscope by Carl Zeiss, Germany which has fluorescence technology to identify and isolate brain tumours, as well as intra operative ICG colour video Angiography/ Flow 800 system in built for facilitating surgeries on aneurysms, AVMs and other vascular malformations of the brain. The hospital also incorporates a Neuronavigation system from Brainlab, Germany for navigation guided surgeries for complex brain tumours and spine fracture stabilisations and fixations. Furthermore, we have a team of Neurosurgeons, Neuro Anesthesiologists, Neurologists Interventional Neurora diologist & Neuro rehabilitation consultants to take care of the Neuro patients and the Cardiologists, Cardio thoracic surgeon & Cardiac anesthesio logists to handle the newly started Advanced Cardiac sciences institute.
What Are The Major Challenges You Have Experienced In Your Journey So Far? How Did You Overcome Them And What Did You Learn From Them?
As Madurai is not my hometown, I started with very few friends and contacts. It was rather tough to establish as a Neuro surgeon when there is already a well established
Neurosciences department in Madurai Medical College since 1963, and there were several practising senior Neurosurgeons and Neurologists in the city. The only factor in my favour was my wife Dr. Kavitha Fenn is from Madurai, an alumnus of Madurai Medical College and my mother in law Dr. Sheela Fenn, a renowned Psychiatrist in the city. Their support and the tag of CMC Vellore helped me establish my practice initially. I received sound financial advice from my father, a retired Banker. I received corporate funding from banks and financial institutions to start the Hannah Joseph Hospital in the year 2008. We continued performing surgeries of complex nature which kept getting referred to us. The introduction of the high technology with modern gadgets which we brought to this city, made us stand out by getting patients referred to us not only by other corporate hospitals in the city, but from other Metropolitan cities too. Our marketing was always by word of mouth by our own patients and their relatives who were happy with our treatment, passion and kindness. We always believe in discounted pricing for the deserving patients in spite of being a corporate hospital.
Going Forward, What Are The Changes In Market Behaviour That You Anticipate And What Are The Opportunities That You Foresee?
The entire spectrum of Neurosciences is not complete without the division of Neuro oncology. Therefore, it was decided that we will start the department of Oncological sciences housing Medical, Surgical and Radiation Oncology in the near future. This will also facilitate our own patients with the Neurooncology services within our facilities. The launch of the helipad for Air Ambulance services is on the cards soon, as several patients would like to shift from other cities in our state as well as neighbouring states and even
countries close by. We are in discussion with the AAI (Airport Authorities of India) Madurai for clearance from their side. Satellite centres in the nearby small cities and towns to serve as a feeder to the Hannah Joseph Hospital are on the cards too. We are in the process of diluting our stake to raise funds using the private equities and soon we will come out with an IPO. After making ours a Public Limited Company in a year’s time, we will proceed towards the starting of the Oncology division and satellite centres/hospitals in Tier-II & Tier-III cities.
Being An Experienced Neurosurgeon With An Illustrated History Of Working In The Healthcare Segment For More Than 25 Years, What Advice Would You Give To The Budding Industry Leaders In The Healthcare Domain?
Never compromise on the quality of care which must be patient centric. Give patients the best, and you will achieve greater heights and laurels. Sometimes an expensive gadget may not give you returns immediately or break even soon, but the very existence of the equipment or the facility at your centre differentiates you from others. Do not invest in second grade equipments or technologies just because it is cheap. Continue to work hard with dedication and sincerity and be honest about it. Never take cash unaccounted have a clean record of income tax, which will not only help you sleep at peace, but will also help you grow abundantly as your balance sheet tells it all.
Dr. M.J. Arunkumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Hannah Joseph Hospital
Dr. M.J. Arunkumar(Moses Joseph Arunkumar) was born in a traditional Tamil Christian family to his parents Moses Rajadoss (a Banker) and Sarojini Moses (a Teacher) in Thanjavur. He did his entire schooling in Thanjavur before leaving for his college studies in the year 1985. He was the captain of Hockey Team, Christian Medical College, Vellore, during his college days. Even in his younger days at School, he won several accolades and was a very hard working and highly disciplined student. Today, Dr. Arunkumar has built a shining reputation by performing many first time complex surgeries and hi tech equipment brought in to bring an era of Modern Neurosurgery to the city of Madurai & South Tamil Nadu. He, along with his wife Dr. Kavitha Fenn Arunkumar, a Psychiatrist by profession, and the Executive Director of Hannah Joseph Hospital, is on a mission to bring progressive changes to the healthcare industry in the region.
Hobbies:Sports and Games, listening to Music and travelling to holiday destinations(domestic & international) with my family.
Favorite Cuisine:South Indian and anything called Biriyani.
Favorite Book:'Neurosurgery' book by Setti S. Rengachary & Robert H Wilkins.
Favorite Destination:The Hills (Kodai)& the Beaches(Mahabs)
Awards & Recognition:
•The Hindu has published a monograph titled 'The Life Story of a Neurosurgeon'by Soma Basu in its Metro Plus edition dated 5th, May 2016 to honour the work of Dr.M.J. Arunkumar.
•Elected for the post of President(Elect) for TANS(Tamil Nadu Association of Neurological Surgeons)in 2019. Will be taking over as President of this prestigious society of 350 members in April 2022.
•Best Doctor Award by the Rotary Clubs of Madurai & Media(Vijay TV)in October, 2019.
•Excellence in Quality Awards to the Best Entry Level NABH Certified Neurology Specialty Hospital by the Tamil Nadu Government and FICCI on March 20, 2021 - Awarded to Hannah Joseph Hospital, Madurai.
Going Forward, What Are The Changes In Market Behaviour That You Anticipate And What Are The Opportunities That You Foresee?
The entire spectrum of Neurosciences is not complete without the division of Neuro oncology. Therefore, it was decided that we will start the department of Oncological sciences housing Medical, Surgical and Radiation Oncology in the near future. This will also facilitate our own patients with the Neurooncology services within our facilities. The launch of the helipad for Air Ambulance services is on the cards soon, as several patients would like to shift from other cities in our state as well as neighbouring states and even
countries close by. We are in discussion with the AAI (Airport Authorities of India) Madurai for clearance from their side. Satellite centres in the nearby small cities and towns to serve as a feeder to the Hannah Joseph Hospital are on the cards too. We are in the process of diluting our stake to raise funds using the private equities and soon we will come out with an IPO. After making ours a Public Limited Company in a year’s time, we will proceed towards the starting of the Oncology division and satellite centres/hospitals in Tier-II & Tier-III cities.
Being An Experienced Neurosurgeon With An Illustrated History Of Working In The Healthcare Segment For More Than 25 Years, What Advice Would You Give To The Budding Industry Leaders In The Healthcare Domain?
Never compromise on the quality of care which must be patient centric. Give patients the best, and you will achieve greater heights and laurels. Sometimes an expensive gadget may not give you returns immediately or break even soon, but the very existence of the equipment or the facility at your centre differentiates you from others. Do not invest in second grade equipments or technologies just because it is cheap. Continue to work hard with dedication and sincerity and be honest about it. Never take cash unaccounted have a clean record of income tax, which will not only help you sleep at peace, but will also help you grow abundantly as your balance sheet tells it all.
Dr. M.J. Arunkumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Hannah Joseph Hospital
Dr. M.J. Arunkumar(Moses Joseph Arunkumar) was born in a traditional Tamil Christian family to his parents Moses Rajadoss (a Banker) and Sarojini Moses (a Teacher) in Thanjavur. He did his entire schooling in Thanjavur before leaving for his college studies in the year 1985. He was the captain of Hockey Team, Christian Medical College, Vellore, during his college days. Even in his younger days at School, he won several accolades and was a very hard working and highly disciplined student. Today, Dr. Arunkumar has built a shining reputation by performing many first time complex surgeries and hi tech equipment brought in to bring an era of Modern Neurosurgery to the city of Madurai & South Tamil Nadu. He, along with his wife Dr. Kavitha Fenn Arunkumar, a Psychiatrist by profession, and the Executive Director of Hannah Joseph Hospital, is on a mission to bring progressive changes to the healthcare industry in the region.
Hobbies:Sports and Games, listening to Music and travelling to holiday destinations(domestic & international) with my family.
Favorite Cuisine:South Indian and anything called Biriyani.
Favorite Book:'Neurosurgery' book by Setti S. Rengachary & Robert H Wilkins.
Favorite Destination:The Hills (Kodai)& the Beaches(Mahabs)
Awards & Recognition:
•The Hindu has published a monograph titled 'The Life Story of a Neurosurgeon'by Soma Basu in its Metro Plus edition dated 5th, May 2016 to honour the work of Dr.M.J. Arunkumar.
•Elected for the post of President(Elect) for TANS(Tamil Nadu Association of Neurological Surgeons)in 2019. Will be taking over as President of this prestigious society of 350 members in April 2022.
•Best Doctor Award by the Rotary Clubs of Madurai & Media(Vijay TV)in October, 2019.
•Excellence in Quality Awards to the Best Entry Level NABH Certified Neurology Specialty Hospital by the Tamil Nadu Government and FICCI on March 20, 2021 - Awarded to Hannah Joseph Hospital, Madurai.