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21 Sep 2018

Dr. Vikram M Mehta Awarded Second Ph.D.

Dr. Vikram M. Mehta has achieved, for a second time, something that most people do not achieve even once – the honour of successfully completing his Ph.D.!

Earlier this month, the Savitribai Phule Pune University (formerly University of Pune) awarded this prestigious degree to Dr Mehta for his thesis on “A study of Administrative Problems of Public Trusts managing Healthcare sector in Gujarat (1990-2014)”.

This is the second Ph.D. he has been awarded, the first being back in 1983 for his scholarly study on “Purchasing perspectives in Engineering Industry in Bombay -Poona Region”.

“There is no age for acquiring knowledge. It is a continuous process that helps a person grow," Mehta had said in an interview to ToI.

Dr Mehta’s study, which earned him a Ph.D. at the age of 80, was submitted in January this year, and approved this month after the reports of the referees and the examiners in the open defence of the thesis. It was completed under the guidance of Dr. C. N. Rawal, M.Com., M.A., M.Phil., L.L.B., Ph.D. and studied the present working of Trust-managed Charitable organizations in the health care sector in Gujarat.

Some of the areas looked into include composition of Board of Trustees and succession plan; assessment of the shortage of doctors and nurses as human resources in healthcare sector in Gujarat; the method of pricing of the services of hospitals; how are the funds raised, managed and difficulties experienced in getting regular funding from various sources and the public private partnership in healthcare sector in Gujarat.

Based on his findings, Dr Mehta has suggested some models such as

1) Cost Recovery
2) Fixed/variable amount charity
3) Outsourcing
4) Public Private Partnership
5) Salary package

He has also mentioned some areas that have scope for future research including:

1) A study on patient’s satisfaction of selected hospitals in Gujarat.
2) A comparative study on working of hospitals in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
3) A study of health financing in Gujarat.
4) Financial analysis of NGOs run hospitals in Gujarat – Maharashtra.

Born in 1938 in Palanpur, Dr. Mehta is a well-known philanthropist and is associated with several institutions. He is involved with the modernization of the Mahajan Hospital in Palanpur and also connected to Ba Lilabai Cancer Hospital at Navsari. He is the chairman of Banaskantha District Kelavani Mandal which runs GD Modi College and other educational institutions in Palanpur and a trustee of Pethani Blood Bank and Vidyamandir Trust, Palanpur.

His father Manibhai Mehta was administrator during the rule of Nawab of Palanpur Taley Mohammed Khan.