KarenCharley004 at 18:11, 1 May 2026

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{{Short description|Indian Cardiac surgeon}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox medical person
|image = Devi Shetty.jpg
|name = Devi Prasad Shetty
| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|df=yes|1953|5|8}}<ref name="MSN-India">{{cite web|url=http://specials.msn.co.in/sp11/india365/Inspiration_detail.aspx?ID=43|title=Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty|publisher=MSN India|access-date=5 June 2012}}{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|birth_place =[[Kinnigoli]], [[South Canara]] district, [[Madras State]], (present-day [[Karnataka]]) India
|profession =[[Cardiothoracic surgery]]
|specialism =[[Cardiac surgery|Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery]]
|research_field =
|known_for = Founder & Chairman, [[Narayana Health]]<ref name="Credihealth profile">{{cite web| url=https://www.credihealth.com/doctor/devi-prasad-shetty-cardiac-surgeon/overview| title=Credihealth profile| website=Credihealth.com| date=2017| access-date=February 23, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018160514/http://www.credihealth.com/doctor/devi-prasad-shetty-cardiac-surgeon/overview| archive-date=18 October 2018}}</ref>
|years_active =1983–present
|education = [[Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore]] ([[MBBS]], [[Master of Surgery|MS]]) [[Royal College of Surgeons of England]] ([[FRCS]])
|work_institutions =[[Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore]], [[Guy's Hospital, London]] B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre, Kolkata Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru
|prizes = [[Padma Bhushan]] (2012) [[Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship|Schwab Foundation's]] (2005) [[Dr. B. C. Roy Award]] (2003) [[Rajyotsava Prashasti|Rajyotsava award]] (2002) [[Karnataka Ratna]] (2001)
|relations =
}}

'''Devi Prasad Shetty''' (born 8 May 1953) is an Indian cardiac surgeon who is the chairman and founder of [[Narayana Health]], a chain of 24 medical centers in India.<ref name='Bloomberg 2013'/> He has performed more than 15,000 heart operations.<ref name="First break all the rules">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15879359|title=First break all the rules|date=15 April 2010|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=5 June 2012}}</ref> In 2004 he was awarded the [[Padma Shri]], the fourth highest civilian award, followed by the [[Padma Bhushan]] in 2012, the third highest civilian award by the [[Government of India]] for his contribution to the field of affordable healthcare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79881|title=Padma Awards|date=27 January 2013|publisher=pib|access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref><ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |date=2015 |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Shetty was born at [[Kinnigoli]], a village in [[Dakshina Kannada]] district of [[Karnataka]]. He was the eighth among nine children of his parents. He decided to become a heart surgeon when he was a school student after hearing about [[Christiaan Barnard]], a South African surgeon who had just performed the world's first heart transplant.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125875892887958111#articleTabs%3Darticle|title=The Henry ford of heart surgery|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=25 November 2009|access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

Shetty was educated at St. Aloysius High School in Mangalore.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Martina |first1=Mala |title=Notable alumni: This Mangaluru College minted bigwigs like KV Kamath, VG Siddhartha & KL Rahul |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/notable-alumni-this-mangalore-college-minted-bigwigs-like-kv-kamath-vg-siddhartha-kl-rahul/articleshow/70481288.cms?from=mdr |work=The Economic Times |date=22 October 2017 |language=en-IN}}</ref> Thereafter, he completed his MBBS in 1979<ref name="Gov">{{Cite journal |publisher=Government of India, Directorate of Printing |date=1981-01-03 |title=Gazette of India|issue=452 |url=http://archive.org/details/in.gazette.1981.452}}</ref> and postgraduation in General Surgery from [[Kasturba Medical College]], [[Mangalore]].<ref>{{cite web|date=December 26, 2020|first=Raj|last=Chengappa|title=When I did a 100 heart operations in 1989, I knew it was possible to start a revolution in cardiac surgery: Dr Devi Shetty|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/anniversary/story/20210104-when-i-did-a-100-heart-operations-without-a-single-fatality-1753003-2020-12-26|access-date=2021-06-19|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref> Later, he completed FRCS from [[Royal College of Surgeons of England|Royal College of Surgeons, England]].<ref>[https://www.narayanahealth.org/bangalore/cardiac-surgery-adult-cardiac-surgery-paediatric/dr-devi-prasad-shetty Brief Profile - Devi Prasad Shetty]</ref> He has also received an advanced cardiothoracic surgery training at [[Guy's Hospital]] in [[London]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jayakumar |first1=Dheeraj |last2=Bansal |first2=Anushree |last3=Albano |first3=Joselv E. |last4=Mirhan |first4=Janelle Lara G. |title=Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty: The Visionary Cardiothoracic Surgeon Who Championed Affordable Healthcare |journal=Cureus |article-number=e70683 |doi=10.7759/cureus.70683 |date=October 2024 |volume=16 |issue=10 |doi-access=free |pmid=39493176 |pmc=11530259 }}</ref>

==Career==
He returned to India in 1989 and initially worked at B.M. Birla Hospital in [[Kolkata]]. He successfully performed the first neonatal heart surgery in the country in 1992, on a 21-day-old baby Ronnie.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anand |first1=Geeta |title=The Henry Ford of Heart Surgery |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125875892887958111 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=25 November 2009 |publisher=Dow Jones |access-date=25 November 2009}}</ref> In [[Kolkata]] he operated on [[Mother Teresa]] after she had a heart attack, and subsequently served as her personal physician.<ref name="MSN-India" />
In 2001, Shetty founded [[Narayana Hrudayalaya]] (NH), a multi-specialty hospital in [[Bommasandra]] on the outskirts of Bangalore. He believes that the cost of healthcare can be reduced by 50 percent in the next 5–10 years if hospitals adopt the idea of economies of scale.<ref name="ET_Awards_2012">{{cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-09-19/news/33952757_1_hospital-chain-narayana-hrudayalaya-cardiac-surgery|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103103129/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-09-19/news/33952757_1_hospital-chain-narayana-hrudayalaya-cardiac-surgery|archive-date=3 January 2013|title=ET Awards 2012|newspaper=Economic Times|date=19 September 2012|access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

In August 2012 Shetty announced an agreement with TriMedx, a subsidiary of [[Ascension Health]], to create a joint venture for a chain of hospitals . In the past Narayana Hrudayalaya has collaborated with Ascension Health to set up a health care city in the Cayman Islands, planned to eventually have 2,000 beds.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/devi-shetty-to-leveragefrugal-engineeringfor-medical-fraternity/484651/|title=Devi Shetty to leverage frugal engineering for medical fraternity|newspaper=Business Standard|date=28 August 2012|access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref>

Shetty also founded [[Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences]] (RTIICS) in Kolkata, and signed a [[memorandum of understanding]] with the Karnataka Government to build 5,000-bed specialty hospital near [[Bangalore International Airport]]. His company signed a MOU with the [[Government of Gujarat]], to set up a 5,000-bed hospital at [[Ahmedabad]].<ref name=mougujarat>{{cite news|title=Narayana Hrudayalaya, Gujarat join hands for health city project|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2009/01/17/stories/2009011750421700.htm|website=Thehindubusinessline.in|access-date=26 May 2013|date=17 January 2009}}</ref>

== Low cost health care ==
Shetty aims for his hospitals to use [[economies of scale]], to allow them to complete heart surgeries at a lower cost than in the United States. In 2009 ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' newspaper described him as "the [[Henry Ford]] of heart surgery".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125875892887958111?mod=slideshow_overlay_mod|title=The Henry Ford of Heart Surgery|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=25 November 2009|access-date=5 June 2012}}</ref> Six additional hospitals were subsequently planned on the Narayana Hrudayalaya model at several cities in India, with plans to expand to 30,000 beds with hospitals in India, Africa and other countries in Asia.<ref name="ET_Awards_2012" /> Shetty aims to trim costs with such measures as buying cheaper [[Scrubs (clothing)|scrubs]] and using [[cross ventilation]] instead of [[air conditioning]].<ref name="cost" /> That has cut the price of [[coronary bypass surgery]] to 95,000 rupees ($1,583), half of what it was 20 years ago.<ref name="Bloomberg 2013">{{cite news|last1=Gokhale|first1=Ketaki|title=Heart Surgery in India for $1,583 Costs $106,385 in U.S.|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-07-28/heart-surgery-in-india-for-1-583-costs-106-385-in-u-s-|access-date=6 May 2016|work=Bloomberg.com|date=28 July 2013}}</ref> In 2013 he aimed to get the price down to $800 within a decade. The same procedure costs $106,385 at Ohio's [[Cleveland Clinic]].<ref name="Bloomberg 2013"/> He has also eliminated many pre-ops testing and innovated in patient care such as "drafting and training patients' family members to administer after-surgical care".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2015/12/16/devi-shetty-who-put-heart-surgeries-within-reach-of-indias-poor-is-taking-narayana-chain-public/#71f6ead2889a|title=Devi Shetty, Who Put Heart Surgeries Within Reach Of India's Poor, Is Taking Narayana Chain Public|last=Rai|first=Saritha|website=Forbes|access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref> Surgeons in his hospitals perform 30 to 35 surgeries a day compared to one or two in a US hospital. His hospitals also provide substantial free care especially for poor children.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McCarthy |first1=Julie |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/01/05/375142025/india-s-philanthropist-delivers-cardiac-surgery-henry-ford-style|title=India's Philanthropist-Surgeon Delivers Cardiac Care Henry Ford-Style|website=NPR.org|date=5 January 2015 |access-date=2016-05-07}}</ref> Whereas urban India calls him "Henry Ford" for his assembly line approach to heart surgeries, rural Indians calls him "Bypasswale Baba" as attested by thousands of sources such as the Deccan Herald, the English newspaper with the largest circulation in Karnataka, Shetty's home state. This is because, like a saint (or Rishi in Indian mythology), anybody who comes to Devi Shetty's Ashram/hospital gets a bypass if he or she dreams of it.<ref>[https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/who-is-devi-shetty-head-of-karnataka-s-covid-task-force-985836.html Who is Devi Shetty, head of Karnataka's Covid task force?]</ref>
[[File:Dr Edmond Fernandes and Dr Devi Shetty in Bengaluru.jpg|alt=Cardiac Surgeon with Global Health Physician|thumb|Dr. Devi Shetty, Founder, Narayana Hrudalaya with Dr. Edmond Fernandes, Founder, CHD Group ]]
Shetty and his family have a 75 percent stake in Narayana Hrudayalaya which he plans to preserve.<ref name=cost>{{cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-25/news/32409047_1_healthcare-sector-150-bed-hospital-narayana-hrudayalaya|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103111154/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-06-25/news/32409047_1_healthcare-sector-150-bed-hospital-narayana-hrudayalaya|archive-date=3 January 2013|title=We will prove the poor can access healthcare: Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya|newspaper=Economic Times|date=25 June 2012|access-date=6 November 2012}}</ref> Shetty has also pioneered low-cost diagnostic services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/news/Narayana-Health-Cisco-join-hands-to-offer-affordable-diagnostics-solution/2016/09/08/article3615707.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160909155645/http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/news/Narayana-Health-Cisco-join-hands-to-offer-affordable-diagnostics-solution/2016/09/08/article3615707.ece|archive-date=9 September 2016|title=Narayana Health, Cisco join hands to offer affordable diagnostics solution|website=Newindianexpress.com|access-date=18 October 2017}}</ref> He was appointed as chairman of the COVID-19 task force in Karnataka which was criticized by global health doctors as being a cardiac surgeon, he did not have the epidemiological approach to COVID-19 management.

==Yeshasvini==
Yeshasvini is a low-cost health insurance scheme, designed by Shetty and the [[Government of Karnataka]] for the poor farmers of the state, with 4 million people currently covered.<ref name="First break all the rules"/>

==Awards and recognition==
*[[Padma Bhushan]] Award for Medicine, in 2012<ref>{{cite news|title=Padma Bhushan to Dr. Shetty|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/padma-awardees-include-mario-miranda-bhupen-hazarika-170283|website=Ndtv.com|access-date=18 October 2017}}</ref>
*[[Karnataka Ratna|Karnataka Ratna Award]], in 2001 <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.karnataka.gov.in/page/Awards/State%20Awards/Karnataka+Ratna/en |title= |publisher=Karnataka.gov.in |date=2022-01-19 |access-date=2022-09-04}}</ref>
*Entrepreneur of the Year at [[Economic Times Awards|ET awards]], in 2012<ref name="ET_Awards_2012" />
*2011 [[The Economist]] Innovation Award in ''Business Process''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economistconferences.co.uk/innovation/businessprocessawardwinner2011|title=Business Process award winner 2011|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=5 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602131115/http://www.economistconferences.co.uk/innovation/businessprocessawardwinner2011|archive-date=2 June 2012}}</ref>
*Honorary degree, [[University of Minnesota]], in 2011 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://uawards.umn.edu/honorary-degree-recipients/devi-prasad-shetty | title=Devi Prasad Shetty | University Awards & Honors }}</ref>
*Honorary degree, 'Honoris Causa' Degree of 'Doctor of Science' by [[Indian Institute of Technology Madras]], in 2014 <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2014/jul/20/devi-shetty-conferred-doctorate-by-iit-madras-637828.html | title=Devi Shetty Conferred Doctorate by IIT, Madras | date=20 July 2014 }}</ref>
*[[Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship|Schwab Foundation Award]], in 2005<ref>{{cite news |title='Social enterprises' rise in Asia amid skepticism |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cover-Story/Social-enterprises-rise-in-Asia-amid-skepticism2 |access-date=16 September 2018 |work=Nikkei Asian Review |publisher=Tomomi Kikuchi}}</ref>
*[[Padma Shri]] Award for Medicine, in 2004<ref>{{cite news |title=Devi Shetty hails NMC bill, says it's a good move by govt |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/devi-shetty-hails-nmc-bill-says-its-a-good-move-by-govt-5008979/ |access-date=16 September 2018 |work=The Indian Express |date=2 January 2018}}</ref>
*[[Dr. B. C. Roy Award|Dr. B C Roy Award]], in 2003{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
*Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial Award, in 2003<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.fkcci.org/sir-m-v-awardees/ | title=Sir M.V Awardees | newspaper=Fkcci – Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry | date=9 January 2021 }}</ref>
*[[Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award|Ernst & Young]], Entrepreneur Of The Year – Life Sciences, in 2012<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ey.com/in/en/about-us/entrepreneurship/entrepreneur-of-the-year/ey-entrepreneur-of-the-year-program-hall-of-fame|title=Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 program - Past winners|publisher=Ernst & Young|access-date=30 May 2018|archive-date=23 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723122605/https://www.ey.com/in/en/about-us/entrepreneurship/entrepreneur-of-the-year/ey-entrepreneur-of-the-year-program-hall-of-fame}}</ref>
*[[Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award|Ernst & Young]],  Entrepreneur of the Year – Start-up, in 2003<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
*Rajyotsava Award, in 2002 <ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/rajyotsava-awards-for-nilekani-kasarvalli-devi-shetty/articleshow/26697750.cms | title=Rajyotsava awards for Nilekani, Kasarvalli, Devi Shetty | Bengaluru News - Times of India | website=[[The Times of India]] | date=29 October 2002 }}</ref>
*Indian Of The Year (Public Sector) by [[CNN-IBN Indian of the Year|CNN-IBN]], in 2012<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/indian-of-the-year-public-service-526373.html | title=Devi Shetty named Indian of the Year in Public Service category | date=12 December 2012 }}</ref>

==Television==
Shetty stars in the fourth (and last) episode of [[Netflix]]'s docuseries ''The Surgeon's Cut'', which was released globally on 9 December 2020. The episode follows Shetty's treatment of patients, mostly children and babies, prioritizing low-cost and affordable healthcare while performing with his team more than thirty surgeries a day.<ref>BBC News [https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2020/bbc-studios-productions-surgeons-cut-premiere-globally-netflix "The Surgeon's Cut"]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Narayana Health]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.narayanahealth.org/bangalore/cardiac-surgery-adult-cardiac-surgery-paediatric/dr-devi-prasad-shetty Profile - Devi Prasad Shetty]

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Medicine}}
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2010–19}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shetty, Devi Prasad}}
[[Category:Indian cardiac surgeons]]
[[Category:Indian philanthropists]]
[[Category:Medical doctors from Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Mangaloreans]]
[[Category:Tulu people]]
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Karnataka Ratna]]
[[Category:Manipal Academy of Higher Education alumni]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in medicine]]
[[Category:Scientists from Mangalore]]
[[Category:Physicians of Guy's Hospital]]
[[Category:Winners of the Nikkei Asia Prize]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian surgeons]]
[[Category:Indian chief executives in the health care industry]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian surgeons]]

Devi Shetty - Revision history

KarenCharley004 at 18:11, 1 May 2026