Dr Alexander Thomas
Founder Member & Patron Association of Healthcare Providers of
India (AHPI)
Dr Thomas has served the healthcare sector for over four decades, and holds
positions in several national associations that address issues within the
healthcare sector: he is Founder-Member and President of the Association of
Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), Founder-President (2010-2021) and
Patron of the Association of National Board Accredited Institutions (ANBAI),
and Founder-President (2012-2017) and Patron of the Consortium of Accredited
Healthcare Organizations (CAHO). In these roles, he has effected
far-reaching policy changes within the healthcare landscape.
He played a significant part in incorporating healthcare communication among
the NABH Accreditation Standards for Hospitals (4th Edition), introducing
communication skills within the MBBS and PG curricula for medical students
across India, rolling back the service tax for the health sector and making
assaults on doctors a non-bailable offence. Due to his efforts, the
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) had made
entry-level accreditation mandatory for the empanelment of hospitals,
leading to the potential empanelment of about 33,000 hospitals across India.
Dr Thomas led the expert group on medical education for the National
Education Policy (2019) headed by Dr Kasturirangan. He initiated the
creation of a national Think Tank on Health at the National Law School of
India University (NLSIU), Bangalore. He was responsible for the founding of
Vayah Vikas, an organisation focused on the wellbeing of senior citizens. He
is also the Former Chairman of the Health Environment Leadership Platform
(HELP) and chaired the organizing committee of the first National Conclave
on Climate Change and Health. Other positions include Member, Steering
Committee, One Health Antibiotic Stewardship in Society (OASIS) study and
Founder-Member, Society for Communication in Healthcare (SOCH). He is a
member of the Health Insurance Consultative Committee constituted by the
IRDAI, Government of India, and member of the joint working group of the
National Health Authority (NHA) and IRDAI for health claim exchanges by the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
At the State level, Dr Thomas played an important role in developing the
Karnataka State Public Health Policy as the Member-Secretary of its Task
Force. He has led committees for NABH accreditation of government hospitals
in Karnataka, the implementation of NBE accreditation for DNB courses in
district hospitals of Karnataka, and working towards a tobacco-free
Karnataka. He played a key role in engaging with the Government of Karnataka
to bring out a patient-centric Clinical Establishment Act, and through FHAK,
was able to engage with insurance companies to negotiate reasonable
reimbursements for hospitals while ensuring patient safety and quality care.
He is currently the Chair of the SDG 3 (Health) Sub-Committee of the
Government of Karnataka (incidentally the only non-IAS officer to head such
a committee); Member, Vision Group, Medical Education and Health, Government
of Karnataka; and Member of a committee constituted by the Ministry of
Education, Govt. of India, to train teachers to identify children with
mental health issues.
At the State level, Dr Thomas played an important role in developing the
Karnataka State Public Health Policy as the Member-Secretary of its Task
Force. He has led committees for NABH accreditation of government hospitals
in Karnataka, the implementation of NBE accreditation for DNB courses in
district hospitals of Karnataka, and working towards a tobacco-free
Karnataka. He played a key role in engaging with the Government of Karnataka
to bring out a patient-centric Clinical Establishment Act, and through FHAK,
was able to engage with insurance companies to negotiate reasonable
reimbursements for hospitals while ensuring patient safety and quality care.
He is currently the Chair of the SDG 3 (Health) Sub-Committee of the
Government of Karnataka (incidentally the only non-IAS officer to head such
a committee); Member, Vision Group, Medical Education and Health, Government
of Karnataka; and Member of a committee constituted by the Ministry of
Education, Govt. of India, to train teachers to identify children with
mental health issues.
He has pioneered several training initiatives and certificate courses for
healthcare professionals through AHPI and CAHO, as well as in collaboration
with PHFI, on different topics such as healthcare quality (adopted by
several State governments); healthcare communication; and mental health and
substance use disorders, among others. He initiated the first technology
course for medical professionals in collaboration with IISC, ISRO and PHFI.
He is an Examiner and Inspector for NBE, former Professor of Orthopaedics at
the MSU in Malaysia, and Visiting Faculty at the Indian Institute of
Management – Bangalore (IIM-B) and the National Law School of India
University (NLSIU).
He has pioneered several training initiatives and certificate courses for
healthcare professionals through AHPI and CAHO, as well as in collaboration
with PHFI, on different topics such as healthcare quality (adopted by
several State governments); healthcare communication; and mental health and
substance use disorders, among others. He initiated the first technology
course for medical professionals in collaboration with IISC, ISRO and PHFI.
He is an Examiner and Inspector for NBE, former Professor of Orthopaedics at
the MSU in Malaysia, and Visiting Faculty at the Indian Institute of
Management – Bangalore (IIM-B) and the National Law School of India
University (NLSIU).
During his tenure as Director (CEO) of the Bangalore Baptist Hospital (BBH)
from 2006-2014, the institution expanded from a small secondary-care
hospital to a nationally-recognised 300-bedded multi-specialty operation,
winning several prestigious awards in the process. The transformation of BBH
under the leadership of Dr Thomas is now a case study for management
students at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B).
During the Covid crisis, Dr Thomas, through the state chapters of AHPI,
worked closely with the Central government, State governments and NGOs to
support India’s battle against the pandemic by helping set up
dedicated COVID hospitals with ICU beds and ventilators, organising
training, equipment, supplies, vaccine distribution, and resources,
including the provision of oxygen concentrators and generation plants. He
played a major role in involving the private sector in establishing Covid-19
testing centres and setting up courses for the training and certification of
frontline Covid Warriors with NSDC. He lobbied with the Government and
private sector donors to provide funds for families of healthcare workers
who died while treating Covid patients. He rapidly set up expert committees
to develop health-based recommendations to enable various sectors to safely
reopen and start rebuilding the country’s economy. These
recommendations were put into white papers on Covid-19 safety protocols, the
safe resumption of air travel, and the safe reopening of schools, among
others.
Dr Thomas’ contributions to the medical profession were recognised by
the Indian Medical Association, who conferred upon him the IMA
Dr M. G. Garg All-Time Achievement Award for Outstanding and
Distinguished Services in December 2022. For his
exceptional contribution in protecting the safety and health of the
community during times of adversity, Dr Thomas was awarded the
Waterfalls Global Award (2022) by the Government
of the United Arab Emirates, one of only 15 global winners. In addition to
the awards received while he was the Director (CEO) of BBH, Dr Thomas was
also awarded the Emeritus Teacher Award (2014) by the National Board of
Examinations for his distinguished achievements and contributions to the
field of medical education, the National Distinguished Services Award (2016)
by the Indian Medical Association, and the Lifetime Achievement
Award (2018) by the Consortium of Accredited
Healthcare Organisations (CAHO).
