How Smart Hospitals Plan for the Next 15 Years | ft. Dr Sooraj Lohithakshan

Industry Magnates Premier: Interview with Sooraj Lohithakshan, Senior Medical Equipment Strategist, Health Tech to Boardroom with FaceTime with Leaders—A WDC Initiative. We are honored to premiere the "Industry Magnates" with our esteemed guest, Sooraj Lohithakshan. Explore leadership philosophy, ideas, and best practices that have propelled them in their professional and personal lives. Brief about Sooraj Lohithakshan: Dr. Sooraj Lohithakshan is a healthcare technology and engineering leader with over 26 years of experience across healthcare infrastructure, biomedical engineering, medical equipment planning, operations management, project management, and business development in Qatar and the UAE. Currently serving as Senior Medical Equipment Planner at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Doha, Qatar, since December 2018, he leads long-term medical equipment planning, capital budgeting, forecasting, lifecycle management, and the development of corporate-wide equipment standards aligned with global best practices. His responsibilities include overseeing complex medical imaging and healthcare infrastructure projects, optimising costs, improving processes, and aligning technology investments with clinical requirements and organisational priorities. Previously, he worked as Operations and Project Lead at Philips Medical Systems from December 2007 to December 2018, Senior Service Engineer at GWT, Dubai, from January 2005 to December 2007, and Business Development and Service Engineer at BMS, Doha, from May 2000 to January 2005. At Philips Healthcare, he contributed to a business turnaround that increased market share by approximately 40%, working closely with hospital executives, clinicians, architects, engineers, procurement teams, and vendors to deliver effective healthcare technology solutions. His expertise spans strategic leadership, healthcare strategy, capital project management, financial stewardship, procurement and vendor management, risk assessment, quality governance, technology planning, stakeholder engagement, business transformation, and sustainable systems. Dr. Lohithakshan holds an MBA from IGNOU, New Delhi, and a Bachelor of Technology in Biomedical Engineering from MEC/CUSAT. His professional credentials include Certified Independent Director certification from IICA (2026), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician (CBET), and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt training, alongside leadership, soft skills, and advanced technical certifications from medical equipment multinational companies. He is pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration at SIMA, Switzerland, with September 2026 listed as the expected completion date. He is also a member of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), has received an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD h.c.) and a Long-Term Service Award from Philips Healthcare. His leadership philosophy emphasises accountability, systems thinking, collaboration, continuous improvement, operational discipline, and measurable outcomes. His experience demonstrates strengths in project governance, compliance with healthcare engineering standards, preventive maintenance, cost optimisation, business development, and managing complex multidisciplinary stakeholder environments. Watch the exclusive interview where our esteemed guest shares views on: 00:00 Introduction 01:59 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on When you walk into a hospital, do you find yourself looking at the equipment differently from everyone else? Can you turn that part of your brain off? 05:55 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on When a new hospital gets built, what does a medical equipment planner actually decide? How significant are those decisions? 10:29 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on What is the most common mistake hospital boards make when approving expensive medical equipment purchases, such as an MRI machine? 14:08 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on Is the global healthcare sector taking its environmental footprint seriously enough, or are we still pretending? 17:37 – Rapid-Fire Round with Sooraj Lohithakshan 18:08 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on Buy a new MRI or upgrade the existing one—which is smarter for most hospitals? 19:03 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on AI in radiology: a true revolution or an impressive sales pitch? 19:43 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on Describe the Indian healthcare system in 2026 in one word. 20:17 – Sooraj Lohithakshan on What is one piece of advice for young biomedical engineers entering the field? #DrSoorajLohithakshan #FaceTimeWithLeaders #DirectorsInstitute #WorldCouncilOfDirectors #HealthcareLeadership #HealthcareTechnology #MedicalEquipmentPlanning #HospitalManagement #HealthcareInnovation #CorporateGovernance #BoardLeadership #IndependentDirector