What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Narayana Health founder Dr Devi Shetty commends India’s COVID response
BENGALURU (KARNATAKA): “Please do not forget to cast your vote”.
One of India’s top cardiac surgeons and founder of Narayana Health, Padma Bhushan Dr Devi Shetty, shared his thoughts as The New Indian’s executive editor Rohan Dua spoke with him a day before the Karnataka Assembly Election.
Dr Shetty, who became a beacon of hope for millions with his affordable healthcare, shared his thoughts as he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his steps that helped India overcome the tough times during the COVID pandemic.
Excerpt from the interview.
Rohan Dua: So, how excited are you for tomorrow’s election, when the new government will be elected?
Dr Devi Shetty: Yeah, I’m very excited. As you know, we are very privileged in Karnataka because we have always had a responsible government. And I’m hoping it will continue.
Rohan Dua: How satisfied do you feel as far as the infrastructure, education or private sector reforms are concerned in this state? And what are the changes that you observed?
Dr Devi Shetty: We are very, very privileged because, from the day of independence till now, we have always had governments encouraging education, skill building and of course, at a later date, health care became a big issue. And we are privileged to have taken several of the initiatives in this state to reach out to the common man.
Rohan Dua: How do you personally feel as a leading doctor in this country, how India grappled with COVID or post-COVID?
Dr Devi Shetty: I believe among all the countries that fought COVID, India has done the best. The reason is that we are a country of 1.4 billion people. All the other countries are tiny compared to us.
So, the quantum of the problem that we faced is significantly greater than theirs, and compared to what they thought, we will land in trouble.
We have done the best on our mortality compared to the population we have, which is definitely the least compared to other countries.
So, I am very, very happy with the way we have handled COVID. We should be very proud of it.
Rohan Dua: You’re also someone who enjoys a great deal of respect among all the political parties.
Dr Devi Shetty: I happened to be one of the senior doctors in the country. Many policymakers do talk to me about what can be done to improve the country’s healthcare problems. I used to give suggestions, and most of them did take them seriously, and some of them did implement them.
Rohan Dua: Which is your most satisfying surgery?
Dr Devi Shetty: Surgeons are essentially artists, and every surgery is an opportunity for us to enjoy the process of creating something magical and mystical that will transform people’s lives.
It’s very heartening for us to see somebody who has been told that there is no hope to survive, like patients who suffer from a condition called pulmonary embolism. For which they generally die. If nothing is done, they’ll be on oxygen at home, gasping for breath and everyone will say they’re going to die.
And then we operate on them. They walk out of the hospital without oxygen, and after six months, they send a photograph of them hiking or scuba diving. That’s what makes us worth living.
Rohan Dua: How much does a minimal surgery cost today at a hospital for a heart surgery, and how far do the costs escalate at your hospital?
Dr Devi Shetty: The heart surgery under the government schemes for a child may cost 90,000 or one lakh rupees. For your information, the first heart surgery I did in Calcutta, I think 33 years ago, cost one and a half lakhs. And today we are doing the more complex operation at 90,000, less than one lakh.
And this is how the cost of healthcare has come down in this country.
Rohan Dua: Why is it that your signature hospital has been able to perform these surgeries at such low costs?
Dr Devi Shetty: About 14% of the heart surgery done in India is done by our group. So, we have a natural economy of scale and our business model is really dependent on working-class people who cannot have too much money to pay. That’s a business model and that’s how it works.
Rohan Dua: How would you see tomorrow’s elections and what would be your appeal to the voters, especially the young voters and all voters your age?
Dr Devi Shetty: My request to all the voters is to get up early in the morning, go back to the polling booth and cast your vote. We are the greatest democracy in the world, and democracy’s foundation is built on our ability to cast our votes.
