You are a healthcare professional on the brink of establishing your own healthcare set-up. One of the first decisions that you will have to make is zeroing in on the site of your dream hospital. At this juncture, you will be surely wondering if the site or the location of your hospital is an important factor. Believe us, it is quintessentially important. Read on to know how the location of your hospital can determine your success in the long run.

 1. Accessibility

Accessibility means that your site should be centrally located and well-connected by public transport and roads. Even though centralized locations in metro cities can be expensive and difficult to find, you should try to select the most accessible site available in the list.  Accessibility is the factor that scores the most as an influencer in patients’ decision to choose a healthcare facility.   If patients are not able to speedily and conveniently reach a hospital, they are likely to select some other facility, especially in a health crisis. If your hospital is well connected by a highway, ambulances can easily bring emergency patients to your trauma centre. If you choose a secluded location due to cost consideration, you may lose out on footfall.  This will ultimately result in slower break-even and lower profitability

Moreover, a  hospital that is within reach makes commuting easy for the patients, especially if repeat visits and follow-up are involved.

 Accessibility can improve patient experience and amplify your hospital’s perception and consequently magnify your success. Hence, your site location must be accessible to attract a large section of your target audience.

2. Budget consideration

Budget can be the biggest curb in site selection. This will be especially true in tier 1 and tier 2

cities where the prices of real estate boom.

Every healthcare entrepreneur has the aspiration to establish a great hospital. Dreams should be big; however, they should still be within budget. Choosing a site that is way beyond your pocket can lead to tensions, losses and even bankruptcy. Site selection that is within the framework of your financial status is vitally important so that you are able to reach breakeven sooner and start garnering profits.  Thus, the budget consideration of your location is significant to success

3. Convenience

Convenience is an important consideration for your prospective clientele. People who come to hospitals are usually sick, weak, movement-restricted or disabled. They will choose a hospital that is located in a convenient area and is able to provide them with amenities like parking space, so that they do not have to struggle to reach it.

Hence, your hospital site should be able to provide such facilities to your patients if you want to attract wider masses. Underground parking, stilt parking or valet parking services can be made available if there is space restraint.

If you are planning to start a small set-up in the upper floor of a building, there should be  elevators and wheelchair ramps for the convenience and comfort of your patients and their family members.

Thus, convenience provided by your hospital’s location can enhance your patients’ experience.

4. Visibility

A hospital that is visible garners more footfall than a unit that is tucked away in a small alley or in a small nook in some building. If your budget permits, be sure to choose a site that is highly visible so that your prospective clients are aware of it. Use big posters and signboards and banners to highlight the location of your hospital to attract attention.

Visibility of your hospital’s location is an important determinant to your success.

5. Competitor’s presence

If there are multiple options to select very near your hospital’s location, it is extremely likely that you will lose out on clients. Your hospital’s location should be such that it is the best and the only solution to your patients’ needs at a particular place.

6. Public amenities

If there are budget constraints, you may have decided to establish your hospital on the fringes or the outskirts of your city or village. However, getting necessary public amenities like gas connection, electricity and water is challenging in such locales.

Every hospital needs a ton of electricity and gallons of water for its everyday functioning. Choose your hospital site with careful consideration of these two factors. If you select a location which is not connected by water and gas pipes provided by the local governing body (Municipality or Gram-panchayat), you will face the hassle of water shortages. You will have to sink funds in water storage facilities, borewells and tanker arrangement.

Hospitals have life support systems and other medical equipment which necessitates constant electricity supply. In the outskirts, this may not be always possible due to load shedding and power failures, you will have to invest more in alternate sources of power like solar panels, generators, etc.

WIFI and mobile network have also become quintessential in today’s times. If your hospital site is on the outskirts and has no towers in proximity, you will face a lot of problems.

A hospital generates piles of biohazardous wastes. Proper disposal of these is mandatory. Choose a site that can house a waste treatment facility and is accessible to waste pick-up and garbage disposal facilities of your state or city.

A location that provides all these public amenities can help you avoid many headaches.

7. Future needs

Every person should aim for growth. You may wish to add some rooms, a wing, a floor or a whole building to your hospital set-up in the future. Your site selection should be such that you can easily accommodate future expansion schemes.

If you select a site that offers no scope for expansion, either vertically or horizontally; you may end up paying a lot more in relocating your hospital when you wish to expand.

To put in a nutshell, your hospital site’s location can have a direct influence on the

patient experience which will mirror your brand image and consequently determine your success. Hence, you should make this decision after a thorough scrutiny of the plethora of options . Many physicians make the mistake of investing in a site without vigilantly analysing different perspectives and then fall into an abyss of problems. Be sure to avoid this pitfall by recruiting a Healthcare consultant to help you select the right site for your hospital. If you are looking for aid in this sphere, be sure to consult Hospertz, a leading Healthcare consultancy firm of India.

Blog has been written by Dr. Vishal Jadhav, a veteran in the field of hospital consultancy with a rich experience of more than 20 years and founder of the Healthcare Consultancy Firm, Hospertz.

Dr. Vishal Jadhav, Director

Linkedin: Dr Vishal Jadhav
hospertz@gmail.com
+91 9867712705/ 9820833149