Why are so many people in their 30s and 40s getting heart attacks?
It’s related to lifestyle, which includes lack of exercise, bad food habits, rising stress levels, and lack of adequate sleep. Everybody is on social media and mobile phones. Even kids are not going out to play. Food habits have changed. Earlier we didn’t have ready-made food, it was home cooked. Today everything is about processed and packaged food, and sweets. For instance, people think fruit drink is healthy. It’s the worst thing because you are taking out the most important pulp and fibre component and giving only sugars. It’s as bad as any carbonated soft drink. There’s not much difference. The quantity and timing of food have also changed. People work all day, go home late, and eat late at night. That’s the worst thing. That is one of the reasons why you put on weight, develop diabetes and high blood pressure. Thirdly, everybody’s stress level has gone up. Fourth is lack of sleep and what time you are sleeping. Your body clock-maximum by 10 o’clock you are supposed to sleep. Rarely do I find a person who sleeps by 10 o’clock. Rarely do I find a person who sleeps for eight hours. Seven to nine hours is ideal. But seven hours of sleep from two o’clock in the night is as harmful as not sleeping.
Are there particular professions where you see these problems more often?
Eighty per cent of youngsters – people below 35 or maximum below 40 – who come with coronary artery disease are from IT or finance. The reason is all of them work late night. They work in groups and keep ordering pizzas and burgers and eat in the middle of the night. And then if you don’t smoke, one of your colleagues does. Of course, a small segment will have family history. But to a large extent, it’s not family history. Even if you have a family history, lifestyle can change outcomes drastically. Even though certain people have high risk factors for getting heart disease, if you have a good lifestyle, you can postpone it for 15-20 years.
Asian Heart Institute became one of India’s most respected cardiac hospitals. Why did you never expand aggressively like many other hospital chains?
There are two models. One is a commercial model-setting up multiple hospitals. The other is excellence. I go by the model of excellence. Recreating excellence in multiple places is impossible.So, any expansion plan of the existing Mumbai hospital?
We will be setting up only one more hospital in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha in the next 3-5 years. The project is a commitment to my father. We are also doubling the bed capacity at our Mumbai hospital from 220 to about 400 beds in a couple of years.
Private equity investors must have approached you repeatedly. Why did you turn them down?
Every week. But we don’t need it. Financially, we are stable. We have enough internal accruals to do our own expansion. I believe in one thing: no debt. The first time when I put up a hospital, obviously there were loans. Even the Bhubaneswar project will be done through internal accruals.
How can India make quality healthcare affordable?
There is no way a country can rely on the private sector to offer healthcare to all citizens. In the public sector, your building is free, equipment is free, manpower is free. Don’t expect the private sector to absorb those costs and still be competitive. The only way it works is through insurance models and strong public healthcare.
What is your view on the popularity of GLP-1 obesity drugs?
First, you should do lifestyle changes. Then you do that. Not the other way around. People are going for the easy route. Another problem is the mass use-we do not know the long-term side effects. I will not advise mass usage.