India will prove healthcare is not linked to wealth in the next decade: Dr Devi Shetty at BT MindRush

India is set to become the first country to dissociate healthcare from wealth, and this transformation will happen within the next 5 to 10 years, according to Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman and Executive Director of Narayana Health. 

Speaking at Business Today MindRush 2025, where Business Today also unveiled India’s Best CEOs edition on Saturday, Shetty asserted that India’s healthcare model would serve as a blueprint for the world. “India will prove that the wealth of a nation or a family has nothing to do with the quality of healthcare its citizens receive. And this shift will not take 50 or 100 years—it will happen in the next decade,” he said.

To illustrate India’s growing dominance in affordable healthcare, Shetty compared cataract surgery numbers across three major economies—India, the United States, and China. “The U.S. performs 3.5 million cataract surgeries annually. Given its population, China should be doing at least five times that number, but it does only 3.2 million. The reason? A lack of private entrepreneurship in healthcare,” he explained.

In contrast, India performs 8.5 million cataract surgeries a year—more than the U.S., China, and most European nations combined. According to Shetty, this has been made possible by entrepreneurial doctors who moved away from large hospitals, set up independent clinics, and drastically reduced costs.

“This is how India will transform healthcare. What we can achieve, no other country can,” he said, underlining the role of private healthcare providers in expanding medical access. While India has made strides in accessibility, affordability remains a challenge, especially with rising private hospital costs and low insurance penetration. Shetty argued that the only viable solution is expanding health insurance coverage, but he acknowledged the trust deficit in the current system.

“Today, hospitals don’t trust insurers, insurers don’t trust hospitals, and patients trust neither. A system where key stakeholders are at odds is bound to fail,” he said. To address this, Narayana Health has started its own insurance initiative, aligning its financial interests with patient outcomes. The company aims to offer ₹1 crore in coverage for surgeries and ₹5 lakh for medical treatment at an annual premium of just ₹10,000—a model that, if replicated, could make healthcare affordable for middle-class families.

Shetty’s vision extends beyond India. He believes that as the country refines its cost-effective healthcare delivery, it could emerge as a global leader in medical innovation, offering a model that other nations can adopt. “India is the only country where we can drive down healthcare costs while improving quality. If we get this right, we will lead the world,” he said.

Heart attacks have always existed, but today, many people wrongly assume that their fitness level determines their heart health. Dr Shetty warned against this misconception, stressing that knowing one’s health numbers is far more important than simply maintaining an active lifestyle.

“If you want to know how fit you are, you need to know your numbers—blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney function, liver health, and heart condition. Without these, you are simply guessing,” he said. Dr Shetty emphasised the need for early detection, arguing that many young individuals who suffered sudden cardiac arrests could have been saved if they had undergone a CT angiogram a decade earlier. “No one dies of sudden cardiac arrest with a normal heart—it’s always due to an underlying issue,” he said.

The problem, he pointed out, is that these life-saving tests take just 30 minutes but are often ignored because people avoid hospitals unless they feel unwell. For professionals living high-stress lives, Dr Shetty outlined a clear, actionable strategy—starting with annual preventive check-ups. He also warned against placing too much faith in treadmill tests, explaining that blockages only show up when they are 70% or more—by then, it’s often too late. Instead, he urged people to detect blockages when they are at 5–10%, a stage when they can still be managed effectively.

Beyond medical tests, Dr Shetty stressed the importance of lifestyle choices. “You are what you eat. A poor diet leads to poor health, no matter what else you do,” he said, underlining the need to monitor food intake carefully. Exercise, he pointed out, remains a crucial factor, yet Indians are notoriously inactive. Walking 10,000 steps a day, he said, significantly lowers the risk of heart disease, kidney problems, and even Alzheimer’s. But more than just exercising for 30 minutes a day, what truly matters is sustained movement throughout the day—a point he believes many people overlook.

Dr Shetty also spoke about weight loss drugs, which have become a growing trend, particularly with Indian pharmaceutical companies introducing affordable versions priced between ₹3,500 and ₹4,300 per vial. While acknowledging their transformative potential, Dr Shetty cautioned that they should not be the first line of treatment.

“Obesity is India’s biggest health challenge. It drives diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. The first approach must always be diet and exercise,” he said. However, for individuals who struggle despite lifestyle changes, these drugs can be considered—but only under expert medical supervision, for a limited time, and with proper monitoring, he said.