12/09/2026
I Grew Here Too: My Journey With Paras Health Srinagar
Insha Majeed
There are workplaces where we simply spend our days. We arrive in the morning, complete our responsibilities, interact with colleagues, attend meetings, solve problems and return home. Work remains work, and the workplace remains just another address in our daily routine.
And then there are places that quietly become a part of us. Places where we do not merely build a career, but grow as individuals. Places where challenges teach us lessons, colleagues become companions in a shared journey, and every passing year leaves behind a version of ourselves that is a little wiser, stronger and more experienced than before.
For me, Paras Health Srinagar has been that place.
Having been associated with the hospital since its early days, I have had the privilege of witnessing its journey from close quarters. But when I look back today, I realise that I have not simply watched an institution grow. In many ways, I have grown with it.
My journey here has been about much more than professional milestones or changing responsibilities. It has been a journey of learning, adapting, making mistakes, finding solutions and, most importantly, understanding the extraordinary collective effort that lies behind healthcare.
The Days When Everything Was New. I still remember the early days. There was a sense of excitement, but also the uncertainty that naturally comes with building something new. New systems were taking shape. New departments were finding their rhythm. New teams were learning to work together. Every day brought a fresh responsibility—and often, a fresh lesson.
Like every growing institution, our journey was not without challenges.
There were moments when things did not go exactly as planned. There were situations that demanded quick decisions, constant coordination and the ability to adapt. There were mistakes, but those mistakes became lessons. There were difficulties, but they taught us resilience.
And through it all, we kept moving forward. Those years taught me something I continue to believe strongly even today: growth is rarely perfect.
It is not a straight line. It is built through experience. Through challenges. Through corrections. Through people who are willing to learn and return the next day determined to do a little better than they did yesterday.
Over time, as I worked across different functions and interacted closely with colleagues from various departments, my understanding of healthcare began to change.
I realised that a hospital can never be built—or sustained—by one person or one department. It is, at its heart, a collective human effort.
The Many Hands Behind One Patient Journey
One of the most important things I have learned during my journey at Paras Health Srinagar is that every patient experience is the result of countless people working together.
When a patient walks through the doors of a hospital, what they see is only a small part of what is actually happening.
The Front Office provides the first interaction. Doctors bring their clinical expertise and make critical decisions. Nurses stand beside patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. Diagnostic, Radiology and Laboratory teams work to ensure that reports are available in time. Pharmacy ensures that medicines are accessible when they are needed.
Behind the scenes, there is an entire network at work. Billing and Finance help make processes smoother and more transparent. Housekeeping ensures that the environment remains clean and comfortable. Security maintains safety and discipline. Food and Nutrition teams take care of dietary needs. Engineering keeps essential systems functioning. IT supports the technology that connects different processes. Administration and several other teams work continuously—often quietly—to ensure that the hospital keeps moving.
Much of this effort may remain invisible. But every bit of it matters. I have learned that one small delay in one department can affect an entire patient journey.
At the same time, I have also seen how one extra effort from one person can make that journey significantly easier.
That is why I believe excellence in healthcare cannot belong to one doctor, one manager or one department. Excellence is something people create together.
Beyond Treatment, There Is Trust
My journey began in Service Excellence, and I believe that experience continues to shape the way I look at healthcare even today. It taught me that patient care is about much more than treatment.
Healthcare is also about the way we speak to people. It is about listening when someone is worried. It is about providing the right guidance at the right time. It is about responding to concerns with sensitivity. It is about understanding that when a patient or family walks into a hospital, they are often carrying uncertainty, anxiety and fear. In such moments, even a simple interaction can make a difference.
A patient may not remember every process we followed. But they may remember how we made them feel.
That thought has stayed with me. Over the years, I have learned to look at complaints differently. I no longer see them simply as problems to be closed. I see them as opportunities to understand what could have been done better.
Every complaint can teach us something. Every question gives us an opportunity to guide someone. And every interaction gives us an opportunity to build trust. For me, that is the essence of service excellence.
Learning to See the Bigger Picture
My transition into Front Office and Hospital Operations opened an entirely new chapter in my professional journey. It gave me a broader perspective.
My focus was no longer limited to one interaction or one department. I began to see the patient journey as a complete experience—from registration and consultation to investigations, pharmacy, admission, billing and discharge.
And I discovered something remarkable.
Behind every experience that appears simple to a patient, there is an extraordinary amount of coordination taking place. There are conversations between departments. There are phone calls and follow-ups. There are corrections and explanations. There are problems being solved quietly in the background.
There are people coordinating with each other to ensure that things move forward. Much of it goes unnoticed. But it all matters. It made me realise just how much coordination happens behind what a patient actually sees.
And ultimately, all of it is directed towards one purpose: Making the patient's journey smoother.
Of course, not every day goes perfectly.
And perhaps that is one of the most important realities of healthcare.
The Human Side of Healthcare
Healthcare is demanding. Every day can bring a new challenge. Situations can change unexpectedly. There can be pressure, delays and moments when immediate solutions are required.
Systems are managed by people. And people, naturally, can make mistakes. But over the years, I have come to believe that what truly defines an organisation is not the absence of challenges.
It is how people respond when challenges arise.
Do we listen?
Do we take responsibility?
Do we learn?
Do we support one another?
And when tomorrow comes, do we return with the determination to do better?
During my journey, I have witnessed many moments that have reinforced my faith in the spirit of healthcare. I have seen colleagues step beyond the boundaries of their defined roles.
I have seen people stay back because a patient needed support. I have seen departments come together during difficult situations. I have seen individuals step forward—not because their job description demanded it, but simply because someone needed help.
To me, those moments represent the real spirit of healthcare. Excellence is not always about doing something extraordinary. Sometimes, excellence is simply doing ordinary things with sincerity—every single day.
More Than a Hospital
Today, when I look at Paras Health Srinagar, I do not simply see a hospital building.
I see a journey. I see the people who helped build it. I see colleagues who stood together through challenging days. I see teams that continued to learn and evolve. I see people who have grown alongside the organisation. And I see the many hands that work behind every patient experience.
Most importantly, I see the trust placed in us by patients and their families.
A hospital becomes part of people's lives during some of their most important—and often most difficult—moments.
To be entrusted with that responsibility is something we should never take lightly.
For me personally, being part of Paras Health Srinagar since its early days has given me a unique perspective. The journey has given me opportunities to learn. It has taught me how to take responsibility. It has allowed me to make mistakes—and learn from them.
It has helped me discover strengths I did not know I possessed. And it has reminded me, time and again, that professional growth is often inseparable from personal growth.
I have changed during this journey.
I have learned to listen more.
I have learned to see situations from different perspectives. I have learned that solutions often require patience.
And I have learned that no matter how complex an organisation may be, its greatest strength will always be its people.
And the Journey Continues
When I look back, I feel proud of how far we have come.
But I am equally excited about what lies ahead.
Because I have learned that excellence is never a destination.
It is a choice. A choice we make every day.
In every department. In every interaction. In every decision. And in every patient entrusted to our care.
We may work in different departments. We may have different responsibilities and different roles.
But ultimately, we are part of one larger purpose.
We are one team, working towards one goal—to take care of our patients and provide them with the best possible experience and care.
For me, that is what makes this journey meaningful.
Paras Health Srinagar has grown over the years.
Its systems have evolved. Its teams have expanded. Its journey has moved forward.
And somewhere along the way, I realised something deeply personal.
I grew here too.
I grew with the challenges.
I grew with the lessons.
I grew with the people.
And as the institution continues to write its story, I feel grateful to know that, in some small way, my own story has become a part of it.
Because for me, Paras Health Srinagar has never been just a workplace. It has been a journey. A learning experience. A collective dream. And, in many ways, a place that helped me become who I am today.
