Dr Kaberi Banerjee, the leading lady spearheading Advance Fertility & Gynecology Centre with a passion for healing infertility

Motherhood is the most beautiful phase and it has been a real joy for every woman. Truly speaking, it might be physically impossible to count the ways motherhood is an awesome thing to witness. Fertility stories are always crafted with emotions and uncertainty – they might revolve around childless couples who would make great parents, thrifty insurer s who refuse to pay for treatments even though infertility stems from a medical problem, and ethical dilemmas that would make Hippocrates' head spin. Today in vitro fertilization (IVF), which was once a mysterious procedure for infertility has practically become a household word. To bring more efficiency and certainty in the fertility system, the genesis of Advance Fertility & Gynecology Centre got rooted in 2015 with a vision to offer comprehensive infertility treatment services [Treatment of fertility till delivery].  Furnishing high-quality services & patient care under one roof while devoted solely to the management of childlessness, Advance Fertility proudly offers the most economical services corresponding to world-class standards.

 In a short span of time, Advance fertility has positioned itself strongly among the handfuls of reputed family clinics. Achieving national recognition and acknowledged for its clinical excellence, Advance's endeavour sets an example of success. Today with a team of internationally trained and experienced staff dedicated to helping patients achieve their dream of having a baby, Advance's customer-centric approach has seen great success and built a name for it by reaching out to a considerable number of patients. "Dr Kaberi & Dr Bhavana are next to GOD for us. Words cannot explain our feelings for them." In a true manner, these patients' words speak volume about its quality and customer service and testify the efficient & evidence-based fertility treatments such as IUI, IVF, ICSI, IVF Pregnancy etc with utmost care provided to the patients.

There is always something to take from the treasure of a person who has built up his/her expertise and became a recognized name in the industry. Passionately committed to transforming health care using effective and efficient technology, Dr Kaberi Banerjee steered AFGC to harness advancement in accelerating positive transformation. We sat down with the leading lady to gain more insights.

Edited Excerpts

What motivated you to start your venture? How did the thought come up?

I was trained in MBBS, MD, from AIIMS & my Commonwealth fellowship in IVF from London, U.K. Then I came back to India and I was the head of IVF department of various corporate hospitals in Delhi. In 2014, I decided to start my own centre to have the independence to provide the best clinical, scientific and financial advantage to my patients. As IVF may need multiple attempts and if I don't have the decision power to give them free or discounted package many patients may be left with unsuccessful results and that's how my journey as an 'entrepreneur' started with Advance Fertility & Gynecology Centre back in 2015.

Digital health has seen a major transformation in the past few years. What impact has it had on your company?

It has a big impact, as nowadays, all patients search the web before deciding their doctor or clinic. It has a big impact on customers/patients in deciding whom to choose.

What do you think is the most important thing providers should consider when looking for patient engagement solutions?

In our field, it is the quality of service and pregnancy rates. We have to give them excellent pregnancy rates at a reasonable cost and also hands hold them through their IVF journey, sometimes multiple times.

What kind of impact do you intend to make in the Indian healthcare space?

I want to illustrate that by doing the transparent practice you always stand to gain. If a patient does not need IVF, do not offer IVF, and if a patient needs IVF, do not give any other treatment.

I also want to make people understand that in IVF to be able to give good results you need a talented team job. There is mushrooming of IVF centres with poor pregnancy outcomes and this should be stopped.

What has been the development path of your establishment? Brief us about the milestones of the organization.

• We have started with 30 cycles/month and now we have almost 100 cycles.
• We not only have patients from Delhi but also from different part of countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, America, UK, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and CIS countries.
• We have 2 more branches, one in CR park and one in Noida. We plan to have different branches in NCR.
• The motto of my organization is to provide ethical, compassionate best fertility services to our patients.

Along the way, how do you think about company culture – what is yours, and how do you make sure that you consistently hire for it as you continue to grow?

I believe in teamwork, delegation and SOP's. Our company is divided into clinical, embryology, administration, nursing and Sales & marketing department. The head of each department is given full freedom to decide what is best. We hold weekly meetings to cover up any missing links however ultimately, I am still responsible for all the patients and each department is fully answerable to me.

In our future, each unit will be self-sufficient but will be answerable as far as pregnancy rates and revenues are concerned.

How can we enhance the quality of healthcare services in India while not adding to costs?

Skilled clinicians, embryologists, nursing team, systematic admin team, efficient time management, optimal utilisation of resources and digital technology will lead to quality healthcare without increasing the price.

In a digital world, how will mobility change healthcare?

In the digital world, the whole world has come into our office rooms. We can talk, e-mail, skype with our patients. All planning and management can be done before the patient reaches us. This saves a lot of time and money.

By 2025, how will our healthcare delivery system change? What roadmap you have laid for the same?

By 2025, the majority of healthcare will be virtual especially the diagnosis and the medical advice. The physical presence of the patient will only need for the procedure. Technology will also advance to such a stage to give better pregnancy outcomes.

What are the reasons for your success? What does it take to become a successful entrepreneur?

Hard-work, discipline, focus and composed outlook lead to success. I believe in having the right team. I also firmly believe that the first half of the day is the most effective part of the day and important tasks and decisions are to be done in the first half.

So, what keeps you up at night?

I am blessed in having a healthy day and night cycle. I sleep well at night.

What advice would you give for the future 'Doctorpreneurs'?

I would say that nothing comes without hard work, it is very easy to daydream. The new generation is addicted to digital technology and has lost touch with discipline, focus and hard work and without this no success is possible.

Founder's Periscope

Infusing her adroitness as the founder director, Dr Kaberi Banerjee is a home to result oriented, enthusiastic and decisive management persona who holds proven success in infertility and IVF sphere of the healthcare industry. Fostering more than a decade of experience, the leading lady has successfully handled more than 6,000 plus pregnancy cases so far. Her expertise lies in successfully handling complicated cases of repeated IVF failures, donor, and surrogacy.