Spin-offs from the Devi Shetty Model

The heart hospitals were just the beginning, Shetty plans to push it up a notch, universal healthcare takes a whole new perspective.

Yeshasvini micro-health insurance scheme:
The first floor of the building that will house the cancer and oncology hospital is dedicated to patients who come under the Yeshasvini health insurance scheme. Just one month since its launch, this OPD has been seeing upwards of 150 patients a day. This scheme is targeted at the farmers of Karnataka and is delivered in conjunction with the state government. The farmers pay a monthly premium of Rs 5 and all their procedures are done free of cost. Last year alone, 25,649 patients came to the hospital under the Yeshasvini scheme. Out of these, 1,788 and 2,357 got free surgeries and procedures. Says Kokila Doshi, professor of economics at San Diego University’s School of Business, “Yeshasvini is based on the fact that the power of the poor lies in numbers. When so many people enroll for such a scheme, even if premiums are so low, you are talking huge numbers.”

Telemedicine:
Done in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation, the telemedicine project was launched in 2001. For this ISRO has given satellite connectivity for free, It links up Narayana Hrudyalaya to government hospitals in far-flung areas. Doctors in these hospitals are trained in coronary care. Through the VSAT they hook up with specialists at Narayana Hrudyalaya and are able to even share ECGs and other patient-related material. Till date this has benefited over 3 lakh people.

Mobile clinics:
In cardiac care, out of the total pool of those affected, very few need an operation. “So instead of them coming to us, we go to them with our mobile vans and do camps,” says Asha Naik, medical superintendent. The vans are equipped with machines to do ECGs and ECHOs. The villagers are sounded 2-3 months in advance that the mobile vans will come. So far the mobile clinic has covered almost all of Karnataka.

Specialised units:
The hospital has also started specialized units dealing with eye-care, neurosciences, organ transplants, gastroenterology and pediatrics. Soon there will also be a full-fledged cancer hospital. They are also based on the same premise of low cost and high quality.

Artificial hearts:
Devi Shetty has recently started implanting artificial hearts. There have been only 600 artificial heart transplants worldwide. Shetty has done three so far. The cost of the surgery is Rs 45 lakh – Rs 35 lakh for the artificial heart and Rs 10 lakh for the surgery. Shetty did the first surgery for free. For future surgeries, Narayana Hrudyalaya has declared that the surgery will be free for those who cannot afford it.