We recently interviewed Babar Bashir Chaudhri, Consultant Cardiac, Thoracic, and Transplant Surgeon. With over 30 years of experience and having performed more than 5,000 cases, he is associated with certain leading hospitals in the UAE. He is focused on providing seamless, comprehensive healthcare of the highest quality, based on specific values, along with creating and maintaining value for the stakeholders of the hospitals where this care is delivered. He has also bagged the award for India’s Best Cardiac Surgeon, 2016 by Medgate Today. Let’s learn more about Babar Bashir Chaudhri and his journey through this interview below.
Start Of The Journey
We started the interview by asking, “Which career path led you to where you are today?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “I trained as a cardiac, thoracic, and transplant surgeon. My medical degree was from the University of Cambridge. Early in my career, I worked for an inspirational cardiac surgeon, Christopher Lincoln of the Royal Brompton Hospital, London. He was a master of his craft, technically superlatively gifted, and incredibly passionate about his work, qualities that I have aspired to emulate.
My cardiothoracic surgical training took place in London and Scotland, and I was very lucky to be given an excellent foundation in my surgical specialty. I then super-specialised in heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and complex aortic surgery during fellowships at Harefield Hospital, London, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, and MHH Hannover.
I then worked as a cardiac surgeon in the London Chest Hospital, before being recruited to set up the cardiac surgery service at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai. I also worked in Lilavati Hospital Mumbai and set up their heart transplant program. I came to Dubai in 2019 and worked at Mediclinic City Hospital Dubai for 2 years before working as an independent doctor in the best centers in Dubai.”
Major Inspiration Behind Building This Career
We were intrigued to learn about the major factors that inspired him to start working in his industry. So we asked, “What inspired you to start in your field?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “There is a need for high quality, safe, and cost-effective cardiac and thoracic surgery at the leading edge. I believe my surgical skills are best served by making them available to a wide range of patients. I wished not only to serve patients with the best insurance or financial means but also to patients of more limited means as well, as I believe excellent healthcare should be available to all and is a fundamental right in a developed and evolved society. Gulf Heart Surgeon was created to lead in providing seamless, comprehensive healthcare of the highest quality, based on specific values, as well as creating and maintaining value for the stakeholders of the hospitals where this care is delivered.”
Evolving Priorities
Experts tend to change their priorities observing the transforming market needs. We asked, “How have your priorities in terms of work evolved since you first started?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri replied, “I have striven to differentiate my clinical services from others. I take on the highest-risk cases in Dubai. I have evolved to provide a 24/7 service for emergencies from a variety of referring hospitals and clinicians and bring them to the centers where I perform surgeries. The imperative is to consistently produce excellent results and this has been the relentless focus. I am also developing services in minimal access surgery, through smaller incisions, and participating in MDT team discussions with clinicians to discuss difficult or grey area cases. The sweet spot for cardiac surgery is constantly in evolution and patients are looking for bespoke, individualized treatments designed around their specific needs.”
Overcoming Challenges
Facing challenges is an inevitable part of any career. We asked, “What are the most challenging situations that you overcome?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri replied, “The medicolegal regulatory framework is in evolution as well as revenue cycle management. The purchaser-provider split model here in UAE is challenging and I have to work in partnership with insurers. Generative AI is entering this space and will help greatly and assist the prior authorization process.”
“What’s the key strength to overcome it?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “I practice evidence-based healthcare, driven by international guidelines from the learned societies in my field, such as the American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, European Association of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and the Society of Thoracic Surgery. I think automation, AI, and careful coding are necessary to overcome the friction points.”
Stand-Out Factors
To learn more about the features that mark Babar’s uniqueness, we asked, “What makes you stand out from all others in your industry?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “I am relentlessly focused on an excellent patient experience in the centers where I work, irrespective of the economics, as I believe safe, cost-effective, and high-quality healthcare with excellent patient experience is possible in low-cost and elite hospitals.”
KPIs For Measuring Business Success
“What KPIs do you use to measure your business success?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “I collect outcome data, such as risk-adjusted mortality data, variable life-adjusted display, and length of stay. My results are excellent.”
Available Services
We were interested to learn about the current services offered by Babar. So we asked, “Tell us something about your services. What are you working on now?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “I am working to bring robotic techniques to more patients. Robotic facilitated surgery is the gold standard for lung resections and is incredibly useful for coronary surgery, especially in diabetic patients where the sternum can be spared and both internal thoracic arteries can be safely taken down and used as grafts.
I provide a 24/7 aortic dissection and emergency cardiac surgery service. Patients in extremis who need emergency surgery should be offered it. We must be aware that a lot of these patients are of working age. There is a societal and medical imperative as our patients support a lot of close family members. A lot of people over and above our patients, such as dependents, are affected by severe illness. and we must not lose sight of this.”
Effective Teamwork
To have sustainable growth in any field of healthcare, building trust and having a strong bond with patients is paramount. We asked, “How do you build trust with your patients and motivate them?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri shared, “I treat those patients I serve with compassion, dignity, integrity, and mutual respect. I respect the professional and clinical skills of my physician colleagues and engage them in teams that help us deliver optimal outcomes and best serve our patients. I hold myself accountable to the highest ethical standards and always put my patients first. I strive for excellence to achieve the finest clinical, service, and operational outcomes. I try to exceed the expectations of the people I serve and those I set for myself.”
Adapting To The Latest Technologies
Another boosting factor for the success of a career, it is crucial to adapt to all the recent trends happening in the market and the latest technologies. We asked, “How do you stay on top of new technologies and trends in your industry?”
Babar Bashir Chaudhri replied, “There is so much new that’s happening especially in cardiovascular disease modification and new therapies for heart failure and thoracic cancers. I have excellent colleagues who help make these adjunctive technologies and treatments available. I continually educate myself and stay up to date with conferences, workshops, and working with industry.”
Advice To Beginners
Emerging medical professionals starting in a similar industry will find it inspiring to hear from an expert like Babar Babar Bashir Chaudhri. We asked, “What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs?”
He shared, “Believe in your mission. Set high standards, build excellence into everything that you do, and value your team. You can’t do this alone.”
Find Babar Bashir Chaudhri on LinkedIn.
Learn more about him at https://gulfheartsurgeon.com/
