Transformational health-care leaders in collaborative entrepreneurial model to achieve UNSDG: a qualitative study

Purpose The agglomeration of specialist health-care facilities has often been restricted to metropolitan areas. This study aims to understand how health-care professionals with transformational leadership behaviors and entrepreneurial aims with a similar vision and expertise play pertinent roles in providing essential specialized health care in rural and semi-urban areas and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Design/methodology/approach Qualitative synthesis using focused-group discussions and interviews was conducted in a phased manner. For this, this study has used stakeholder-theory, and dynamic-capabilities approaches. Findings This study explores the intricacies of collaborative entrepreneurship (CE)-based health-care ventures in developing regions and reveals five pertinent attributes: strategic control, synergy, commitment, empathy and satisfaction. This study recommends that entrepreneurial collaboration, especially by transformational health-care leaders, can significantly contribute to creating an endogenous health-care ecosystem with advanced facilities and technology-enabled modern infrastructure and augmenting regional development. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted in semi-urban settings in India. Future research should include other sectors and regions to generalize the findings. Practical implications This study benefits health-care professionals having an analogous vision, skills and entrepreneurial aims. Social implications Collaboration of health-care professionals and using transformational leadership behaviors can considerably contribute to providing specialist health care in developing areas and enhance patient satisfaction. Originality/value To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to discuss the importance of CE in health care in developing areas. In addition, it discusses the benefits of the CE model in achieving the UNSDGs and offers valuable suggestions for health-care professionals and administrators.