Hospital Manager Salary in India 2024 [For Freshers & Experienced]

A healthcare organisation is built by compiling various organs. These include the staff, leveraged technologies, patient service, up-to-date equipment, management and more, run under the guidance of a capable team of administrators. But who keeps these administrators aligned with their responsibilities and motivated? A manager!

Hospital managers work closely with the administration of a healthcare institution to ensure proper coordination is practised across varying organs. Healthcare managers do not interact with patients directly but play a significant role in ensuring a comfortable experience for patients in all spheres, from admission to discharge.

As the global healthcare labour market is on its way to witnessing rapid growth, preparing to become a part of it is the first step towards navigating a successful career in healthcare. 

Let us take you through an in-depth guide to the role of hospital manager, their responsibilities, eligibility, key skills required to become one and most importantly, their salary expectations. 

Who is a hospital manager?

Hospital management or administration is a field which relates to management, leadership, and proper administration of the healthcare system. Hospital managers also go by the name of hospital administrators, who play a vital role in supervising day-to-day operations and coordinating the various hospital services, including planning finances, devising strategies, aligning staff and more. 

Unlike doctors or nurses who are directly related to providing aid to patients, a hospital manager has to ensure that proper support is extended to the medical staff, their skill development, training, and much more to extend a well-rounded hospital experience to patients. 

Key skills required to be a hospital manager

If you desire to be a hospital manager, here are the vital skills that your employer would be looking for:

• Critical thinking: Critical thinking skills are necessary for a hospital manager since it helps the administrator determine the best course of action for any problem. 
• Ethical judgement: To develop a high sensitivity towards a patient’s diverse requirements, hospital managers must have heightened ethical judgement. One key responsibility of a hospital administrator is to continuously improve the quality of patient care, which becomes easy for a person with a strong moral compass, enabling them to judge their most minor requirement.
• Relationship building: Constant interaction with the hospital staff, like doctors, nurses and likewise, is a vital role of hospital managers. Thus, building rock-solid relationships along the way, paired with effective communication, is a skill you should possess to become a hospital administrator.
• Swift thinking: The ability to think quickly on the feet is one of the most sought-after skills for any hospital manager. Not only is quick thinking important in this era of constant change, but the capacity to take on the burden of failure and the compliments of success is equally vital.

Hospital manager salary: How much is it in India?

Hospital manager is an indispensable role which juggles several responsibilities at once. Extending the right compensation is the best way to appreciate their hard work. In India, the average salary of a hospital manager tends to be around INR 4.9 LPA per annum. This figure is subject to growth following diverse factors. Let’s take a closer look at some of these factors. 

• Experience: Experience is one of the most crucial determining factors in deciding salary figures for any working professional. The more experience you have, the better would be your chances of receiving higher compensation. 

Experience	Average Annual Salary
Entry Level	INR 3.5 LPA
Mid Level	INR 7.5 LPA
Senior Level	INR 13 LPA

• Location:  Some cities tend to pay higher than others, which is obvious following the changing living standards across regions. Here’s what a hospital manager’s salary figure may look like in different locations. 

Location	Average Annual Salary
Bangalore	INR 4.5 LPA
Mumbai	INR 5.6 LPA
Hyderabad	INR 4.5 LPA

• Organisation: Reputed organisation tends to pay their employees higher than usual. Therefore, acquiring job opportunities in leading hospitals can help you acquire lucrative opportunities. 

Organisation	Average Annual Salary
Cipla Pharmaceutical	INR 6.1 LPA
Max Healthcare	INR 4.5 LPA
Apollo Hospitals	INR 10 LPA

• Skills: Possessing specific skills is bound to bring you a better salary figure than others. For instance, in-demand healthcare management system skills will give you an edge over someone without proficiency in accessing such systems. This is where you can also obtain better compensation packages. 

Skills	Average Annual Salary
Operations Management	INR 4.7 LPA
Budget Management	INR 7.2 LPA
Hospital Education	INR 5 LPA

What are the responsibilities of a hospital manager?

The day of a hospital manager would like something like this:

• Management of hiring skilled professionals to ensure efficiency.
• Overseeing the training of the hospital team.
• Monitoring the staff performance.
• Serving as a connection between the patients, employees and management.
• Budget framing for the institution.
• Curating operational strategies which are unique to each department.
• Finding the loopholes in operation and modifying them to provide the best healthcare facility to the patients.
• Developing policies to give better patient satisfaction and experience.
• Make sure that every patient’s healthcare record and data are safe.

Check out our free courses related to upskill yourself.

Characteristics of a good hospital manager

Now that you’re aware of a hospital manager’s skill sets and responsibilities, you should also know about the key characteristics to deem you the best in the industry. 

• Compassion towards patients: The work of a hospital manager impacts the patients, and hence, compassion forms to be a core characteristic. A compassionate person also helps in moulding the workplace culture.
• Open to learning: Learning is a lifelong journey, whether in any academic field or experience. Healthcare as an industry is ever-evolving. The industry’s dynamic nature demands all professionals be open to lifelong acquiring new skills.
• Capacity for delegation: Hospital management is synonymous with tons of work; therefore, a hospital manager should be someone who can work well in a team and distribute work. 

Benefits of becoming a hospital manager

There are multiple benefits to becoming a hospital manager. Jump into this section to find out more:

Diverse career scopes

The medical industry is ever-growing, with new working positions developing each year. There are multiple scopes within a medical institution itself where hospital managers can create a difference and leave a positive footprint.

Handsome remuneration

The aforementioned section provides a clear picture of hospital manager earnings. The range further shoots up with growing experience and expertise. Opting for higher education or further specialisations can boost your chances of getting better salaries.

Greater responsibilities

The responsibility of a hospital manager can vary from either managing a particular department or even the entire facility. Thus the hill of responsibility is quite high and demands a competent person to deal with it. 

Summing up

Healthcare management comprises a fast-paced environment, which demands its internal resources to work with utmost agility and responsiveness. The best way to evolve in your role is by applying for higher healthcare management skills to transform you into a well-rounded healthcare professional fit to manage a workspace as dynamic as a hospital.

If you’re intrigued by the roles and responsibilities of a hospital manager, upGrad’s Executive Post-Graduate Programme in Healthcare Management can be excellent fuel for your career!

Leveraging the expertise of industry experts, this course provides an in-demand curriculum to prepare you for the competitive future of healthcare. The course has a blended mode of pre-recorded and live lectures and runs for almost 11 months, making it a flexible approach to transition into healthcare roles for working professionals.