I was particular that it had to be Dr. Shetty—because he embodies the Global Indian I had in mind. Someone who went abroad, mastered a skill, and then returned to India to dedicate his life to solving one of our greatest challenges: affordable cardiac care.
I first came across Dr. Shetty in a Harvard Business School case study during my OPM Renew course in September 2019. I didn’t know then that this case would become a milestone in my own journey as an entrepreneur. It was here I discovered that purpose could be built into business strategy itself. Until then, I thought philanthropy was something the very wealthy pursued—or what businesses did to meet CSR obligations.
The problem Dr. Shetty set out to solve is enormous. Nearly 2.5 million Indians need heart surgery each year, yet only around 300,000 actually receive it. That’s just 12%. Through his Narayana Hrudayalaya model, patients who can pay subsidize those who cannot, with the foundation bridging the rest. Everyone gets care.
This is capitalism with a heart—literally. Models like this show us that profit and purpose are not opposing forces but partners. They are, in fact, the only way forward.
Thank you, Dr. Shetty. Dil Se.
