As the Group CEO of KIMSHEALTH, Dr. Sheriff M. Sahadulla has spearheaded numerous initiatives that have significantly expanded and enhanced the organisation’s operations. He spoke to Bahrain This Month about his inspiring journey.
Dr. Sheriff’s educational background laid a strong foundation for his career. He attended medical school at Tufts University in Boston and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. “Initially seeking a clinical position, I stumbled into healthcare management by chance. A hospital in Massachusetts was developing a Hospitalist Programme and hired me straight out of residency as the Associate Medical Director. The last 26 years prior to joining KIMSHEALTH was mainly spent in healthcare leadership positions based in Boston,” he explains.
His move to KIMSHEALTH was driven by his advocacy for aphysician leadership in healthcare. Since joining in 2015, he has served in various leadership roles, ultimately becoming the Group CEO for India and the Middle East.
Mentorship has played a crucial role in shaping Dr. Sheriff’s leadership style. He cites three influential figures: his father, Dr. Bill Stephan and his wife, Dr. Amena Malik. He describes his father as “the organisational leader I aspire to be” and credits Dr. Stephan with teaching him how to balance clinical work with leadership duties. His wife, a leader in healthcare quality who runs the accreditation programme at the National Health Regulatory Authority, is “the quality leader I aspire to be”.
Under Dr. Sheriff’s leadership, KIMSHEALTH has achieved remarkable growth. He identified five key focus areas: patient experience enhancement, technology and digital transformation, standardised clinical practice, quality excellence through international accreditation, and a robust learning and development platform for employees. These strategies have propelled KIMSHEALTH to new heights since it opened its first medical institution in 2004, with all 17 medical facilities in the GCC region receiving accreditation from the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards International (ACHSI).
Dr. Sheriff emphasises the thoughtful integration of technology in healthcare, focusing on its potential to enhance physician efficiency, improve patient experience and boost operational productivity. He states: “I do not believe in using technology for the sake of using technology. Each new implementation is looked at as how will it add value in one of these categories”.
