Failures and Learnings from CCHRC
In this conversation, Dr. Ravi Kannan, Director of Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (CCHRC), reflects on his earliest encounters with failure and how they shaped his leadership journey. Moderated by Huda Jaffer, Director of SELCO Foundation, the session delves into the many layers of failure, from assumptions made during healthcare delivery to systemic shortcomings. Dr. Kannan candidly shares a pivotal discovery that many patients at CCHRC were not completing treatment, despite low-cost, full-boarding care, due to overlooked socio-economic challenges.
The conversation explores how failures catalyzed innovation: from launching a daily wage program and home-care follow-ups to addressing deeply rooted mistrust and poverty with humility. Dr. Kannan also reveals the deeply human moments like a mother selling her child to afford chemotherapy that forced introspection and policy shifts. As the hospital grew, he discussed how the current leadership challenges, team dissatisfaction, generational value gaps, and building sustainable community models for palliative care and health promotion.
