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2000 — 2010
Dr Devi Shetty
Making of a Miracle He has conceptualised the world’s cheapest health insurance programme that covers three million beneficiaries in Karnataka, at five rupees a month each
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ur population is our strength and we can do lot of things using this unique strength of ours,” says Dr Devi Shetty. Renowned cardiac surgeon and social entrepreneur Dr Devi Shetty founded Narayana Hrudayalaya because he believed that no child should be deprived of best healthcare because the parents cannot afford it. The Narayana Hrudayalaya Group performs the largest number of heart surgeries on children, across the world, providing cardiac care to children from over 73 countries. In addition to providing healthcare services, Dr Devi Shetty has also initiated a health insurance scheme with an aim to provide cheap coverage to the poor farmers of Karnataka. Dr Shetty has an incredible list of achievements—being the first heart surgeon in India to venture into neo-natal open-heart surgery, performed the first open-heart surgery in the world to close a hole in the heart with the help of a microchip camera, used an artificial heart for the first time in India and performed the first surgery in India using the blood vessels of the stomach to bypass the blocked arteries of the heart. He has immensely reduced the cost of heart operations making heart surgery affordable to the common man.
Fact File n He has performed than 10,000 heart surgeries n Introduced the concept of assemble line heart surgery that aims at reducing the cost of surgery n Facilitated with Padma Shri, Dr BC Roy award, Sir M. Visvesvaraya Memorial award
Yeshaswini Farmers Healthcare Scheme
Targeted Development A Farmers Healthcare Scheme undertaken in Karnataka provides cost effective quality healthcare facilities to the co-operative farmers
Fact File n Launched in November 2002, and operationalised with effect from June 1, 2003 n The International Labour Organisation has showcased the scheme on its website and has also constituted a study of this scheme backed by expert actuaries
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s India moved to an inclusive democracy in the years since Independence, we now have the chance to enable a similarly inclusive economic culture, one which encourages initiative, participation and growth for the many, across India, rather than the few. Yeshaswini Co-operative Farmers Healthcare Scheme is a landmark initiative towards inclusive growth for the farmers of Karnataka. Today, any farmer who is a member of a co-operative society in Karnataka can get the necessary treatment and have access to expensive medical procedures by becoming a member of this scheme. Initiated by Dr. Devi Shetty of Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore, and implemented by Government of Karnataka the scheme aims to provide cost effective quality healthcare facilities to the co-operative farmers spread across the state of Karnataka. The scheme is offering a low priced product for a wide surgical cover, (covering over 1600 defined surgical procedures) to the farmer cooperators and his dependent family members. The latest government data show that in India access to hospitals for every 100 poor persons is just 1.70. Thus, India needs such type of micro healthcare scheme desperately, can’t be disputed.
> www.ehealthonline.org > January 2011