Dr. Devi Shetty

Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty is one of the most respected and widely recognised cardiac surgeons in the world. He is the founder and chairman of Narayana Health, a hospital chain that has redefined what affordable, high-quality cardiac care looks like — not only in India, but globally.

Early in his career, Dr. Shetty trained at Guy's Hospital in London, one of the oldest teaching hospitals in Britain. He later served as personal physician to Mother Teresa, an experience he often credits with shaping his conviction that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege. This belief drives every aspect of how Narayana Health is structured and priced.

Dr. Shetty has performed over 15,000 cardiac surgeries in his career, including pioneering procedures on paediatric patients with complex congenital heart defects. His work on neonatal and infant cardiac surgery, in particular, has saved thousands of children who had no other medical options.

At Narayana Health in Bengaluru, he leads a team of over 40 cardiac surgeons who collectively perform more than 30 open heart surgeries every day — one of the highest volumes of any single cardiac centre in the world. Volume, in cardiac surgery, translates directly to better outcomes, and Dr. Shetty's team consistently demonstrates success rates that compare favourably with the best centres in the USA and Europe.

He is a recipient of the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, India's fourth and third highest civilian honours respectively, and has been featured in TIME Magazine as one of the world's most innovative thinkers.