Abstract

The case focuses on how Evita Fernandez, the chairperson of Fernandez foundation undertook various initiatives to attain clinical leadership in compassionate healthcare and quality of caregiving. Her parents started Fernandez Hospital in 1948 with just two beds and Evita inherited the hospital in the early 1990s and scaled it from 30 beds to a 300 bed hospital by 2011 with the necessary infrastructure using evidence-based practices. The case then describes the various initiatives taken to bring about changes in the child birthing process through compassionate care. Evita also set up the Fernandez School of Nursing in 2005, and from 2008, she offered free midwifery education to tribal girls from across the country. In 2011, Evita spearheaded the midwifery initiative with the Professional Midwifery Services to create a national cadre of midwives. She also launched a two-year Professional Midwifery Education and Training Program. The case ends with Evita’s efforts to scale up the compassionate care model by partnering with various government and non-government organizations. She worked closely with the Ministry of Health and UNICEF to increase normal births and train nurses and doctors in public hospitals in some of the states of India.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Highlight the importance clinical leadership plays in improving quality of care and the outcomes
• Review the role of clinical leadership in bringing about changes in maternal and child healthcare management practices in India
• Identify the importance of standardizing service quality and value during scale-up
• Recognize the importance of training in creating a service culture of providing compassionate healthcare to women

Keywords

Social Entrepreneurship; Empathetic Culture; Leadership Style; Social Responsibility; Service Quality; Innovation; Empathy Training; Hospital Management; Service Innovation and Differentiation; Scaling and Institutionalizing Change