The Indian health care industry is undergoing a period of transformation, marked by increased competition, a high level of customer awareness of the quality of hospital care services, a heightened focus on quality and performance improvement, and the rapid growth of the private health care sector. Wockhardt Hospitals Limited has set its sights on establishing a strong network of superspecialty hospitals providing patient care of a world standard.


The collaboration between Harvard Medical International and Wockhardt began with an initiative aimed at instituting a sustainable quality improvement model for Wockhardt Hospitals in Mulund (Mumbai), which had opened a year before. The collaborating teams worked together to:
  • Develop a performance improvement plan with clear benchmarks and measures to guide continuous improvement
  • Create a multidisciplinary Care and Quality Improvement Council made up of representatives from around the hospital to oversee aspects of the plan's implementation
  • Align Wockhardt's efforts with the defined standards related to different aspects of quality and patient care, such as infection control, health information management, patient safety, and clinical quality performance indicators
  • Collect input from all facets of the medical and administrative staff to encourage the development of a quality culture
  • Provide professional development and training for medical and administrative staff
  • Establish the processes and specific outcome measures for patient care and self-assessment


Wockhardt Hospitals Mumbai has made considerable strides implementing its new health care quality improvement program. Wockhardt has succeeded by empowering its staff to take active roles in the hospital's progress, with the performance improvement plan serving as the mechanism to support dialogue about how to improve quality in all aspects of the hospital. In 2005, just two years after opening, the hospital was evaluated and subsequently accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), only the second health care provider in India to earn this distinction. The efforts leading to this achievement are expected to serve as the model for performance improvements at other Wockhardt hospitals, including facilities in Bangalore and Kolkata.

Today Wockhardt continues to work with Partners Harvard Medical International in a variety of areas, including new clinical program development and a certification program for nurse managers in many of Wockhardt's medical centers.