Clancey Po’s main goal in life is to see the world as a happy place. Having been in the healthcare field for over 25 years, and working in different countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, Oman, Qatar and Canada, Po is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
Po joined Burjeel Hospital after a two year stint at Al Ahli Hospital in Doha, Qatar, as director of marketing, business development and quality, and has been successful in making the hospital “the” healthcare brand in the region. “I was part of the commissioning team for Burjeel Hospital. I headhunted most of my senior management team, creating a new niche for premium private hospitals. I was instrumental in hiring top-notch doctors from all over the world which resulted in creating one of the finest private hospitals in the region,” says Po, calling the hospital one of his biggest achievements and something that he is definitely proud of.
Ask him if he faced any difficulties reaching the position he is at now, and Po says, “Fortunately for me, not many. Firstly, because I believe in positive thinking and I always see the glass half full. Secondly, I have a mentor; Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil – Managing Director of VPS Healthcare Group, the group that owns Burjeel Hospital, who has given me the freedom to take decisions that I believe are correct. It is very easy to work in such situation.”
Po’s journey has been very rewarding so far. “When you see the smile on all the faces of the patients who have gone through a surgery or difficult moments in their lives, that for me is more rewarding,” says the CEO, whose hospital often offers free surgeries for patients who cannot afford it.
Besides, the success and recognition of Burjeel Hospital is definitely a reward for Po. “In two years, where Burjeel was not even known, today anywhere we go, if I say I’m from Burjeel Hospital, they say, ‘Oh it’s that 7-star hospital from Abu Dhabi.’”
As CEO, Po is also currently overseeing the expansion of the Burjeel brand in Abu Dhabi which includes the Burjeel Medical Center and other upcoming projects in and around Abu Dhabi.
Currently, the operational units are Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, Burjeel Medical Centre in Al Bahia, Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery in Dubai, and Burjeel Medical Centre in Oman. He also has several publications on “Customer Care in Hospital” and “Quality in Healthcare Settings”.
Q & A with Clancey Po:
How do you see the growth of the healthcare sector worldwide?
Healthcare has changed over the past five years with the help of technology, modern day medicine, specialized doctors and advancements in tertiary care. People now live on average at least 10 years longer than they did back in the 70’s and 80’s and medical advances have brought many breakthroughs and improvements in patient care.
The future of the healthcare sector will see increasing trends in more patients because the number of individuals arriving at age 65 will increase dramatically as more patients will be living longer. More advanced technology will see improved treatments, less risks and extend lives. In the long-run, the increase in the number of patients will lead to a great demand for practitioners; nurse practitioners, generalist physicians, and specialty physicians in the management of certain diseases and determine the best utilization of each. As medical care advances, costs are bound to increase, thus leading to increasing costs of healthcare insurances.
Healthcare worldwide is characterized by a huge demand supply gap and with high entry barriers, thus creating abundant regional opportunities for the private sector to play a responsible role to support the government strategies and vision in healthcare.
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs or youngsters hoping to follow your path?
There is no short cut to success. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
What advice would you give immigrants?
Immigrants fortunately have no option. They have only one way to success – work hard or perish. Again my advice would remain the same – work hard and you will succeed.
Indians around the world have made significant contributions to their immigrated countries, what do you think of this accomplishment?
Like most immigrants – Indians too work hard in their adopted countries. The fact remains that the work ethic of Indians is well-known and therefore are preferred as employees. Additionally, we speak multiple languages and are hardworking, intelligent professional and well-educated. I believe that most countries, especially the GCC, would not have been able to achieve whatever success they have achieved in such a short time without the help of the Indian Immigrant population.