Bengaluru · Doctor profiles
Notable Doctors of Bengaluru
Profile notes on eight medical leaders shaping cardiac care, oncology, nephrology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and affordable healthcare in the city.
Dr. Devi Shetty is one of India's best-known heart surgeons and a leading voice for affordable healthcare. He founded Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru in 2000–01, which has grown into the Narayana Health network of hospitals across India, with one in the Cayman Islands.
- Training
- MBBS and MS from Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore; FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Early work included Guy's Hospital, London, and Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru.
- Known for
- Bringing down the cost of heart surgery through high volumes and efficient systems. He helped design Yeshasvini, Karnataka's low-cost health insurance scheme for rural farmers, covering millions.
- Other roles
- Chairperson of the Board of Governors, IIM Bangalore.
- Honours
- Padma Shri (2004) and Padma Bhushan (2012).
Dr. C.N. Manjunath led Bengaluru's government-run Jayadeva Institute for 18 years, turning it into one of Asia's largest dedicated heart hospitals, known for quality cardiac care at affordable cost for all sections of society.
- Training
- Medical education at Mysore Medical College.
- Known for
- Expanding Jayadeva into a major public heart institute with centres in Mysuru and Kalaburagi. A technique for balloon mitral valvuloplasty is named after him.
- Current role
- Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for Bangalore Rural since June 2024.
- Honours
- Padma Shri; Karnataka Rajyotsava Award; honorary doctorate from Bangalore University (2019).
Dr. Ajaikumar founded HCG, one of India's largest cancer care networks, with the aim of making advanced cancer treatment accessible and affordable. HCG uses a hub-and-spoke model, with a central Bengaluru hub supporting smaller centres across the country.
- Training
- MBBS from St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru; residency at the University of Virginia Hospital; fellowship in radiation and medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.
- Known for
- Founding Bharath Hospital and Institute of Oncology in Mysuru (1989) and HCG (2005), and introducing technologies such as CyberKnife to India.
- Current role
- Chairman of HCG. After KKR acquired a majority stake in 2024, he moved to a non-executive chairman role (confirm current title with HCG).
- Honours
- Karnataka Rajyotsava Award; Dr. B.C. Roy Award (Indian Science Monitor); Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Dr. Sudarshan Ballal is a leading kidney specialist who built Manipal Hospital's nephrology and transplant programme in Bengaluru and now chairs the Manipal Hospitals group. His 2025 biography, Leading With Compassion, traces his five-decade career.
- Training
- MBBS and MD from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, where he was the best outgoing student. Trained in the USA and became triple board certified in internal medicine, nephrology and critical care. FRCP (London).
- Known for
- Performing Karnataka's first deceased-donor (cadaver) kidney transplant and setting up the state's first postgraduate training centre in nephrology. Earlier served as a professor of medicine at St. Louis University School of Medicine, USA.
- Other roles
- Chairman of Stempeutics Research; Senate Member of Manipal Academy of Higher Education; past President of NATHEALTH (Healthcare Federation of India).
- Honours
- Karnataka Rajyotsava Award; honorary Doctor of Science.
Dr. Vivek Jawali is a pioneer of minimally invasive heart surgery in India, with close to four decades of experience and more than 18,000 cardiothoracic and vascular operations. He is regarded as one of the world's most experienced surgeons in ‘awake’ open-heart surgery, performed without general anaesthesia.
- Training
- MBBS from M.R. Medical College, Kalaburagi (first rank, Karnataka University); MS (General Surgery) from JJM Medical College, Davangere; MCh (Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery) from KEM Hospital and Seth G.S. Medical College, Mumbai.
- Known for
- Performing India's first beating-heart (off-pump) bypass surgery in 1992 and first minimally invasive bypass surgery in the mid-1990s. Earlier served as professor of CT surgery at Jayadeva Institute and founded the Wockhardt Heart Institute, Bengaluru.
- Current role
- Chairman of Cardiovascular Sciences for Fortis Hospitals' Bengaluru cluster and of the Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery Council, Fortis Healthcare.
- Other roles
- Past President of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons (2008); founder member of the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgeons; former member of the Medical Council of India.
Dr. N.K. Venkataramana is an internationally known neurosurgeon with more than 35 years of experience and tens of thousands of operations. He founded BRAINS (Bangalore Regenerative Advanced Institute of Neurosciences) in 2016–17, a dedicated hospital for brain and spine care.
- Training
- Medical degree from Sri Venkateswara Medical College (1981); neurosurgery training at NIMHANS, Bengaluru (1986); micro-neurosurgery and endoscopy training in Hanover, Germany.
- Known for
- Founding the Manipal Institute for Neurological Disorders (MIND) at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, and pioneering 1062, an early GPS-enabled mobile trauma care service. He later led neurosciences at BGS Global Hospitals.
- Areas of work
- Neuro-oncology, endoscopic and paediatric neurosurgery, cerebrovascular and spine surgery, and stem cell research. He has also written The Secret of Brain Wellness.
- Honours and roles
- Dr. B.C. Roy Award; Karnataka Rajyotsava Award; past President of the Indian Society for Paediatric Neurosurgery and the Neuroendoscopic Society of India.
Dr. Sharan Patil founded SPARSH Hospital in 2006 as an orthopaedic and trauma hospital in Bengaluru and has grown it into a multi-speciality group across Karnataka. He is known for complex paediatric orthopaedic and joint replacement surgery.
- Training
- MS (Orthopaedics) from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (gold medal, 1991); MCh (Orthopaedics) from the University of Liverpool, UK, with training at hospitals including Alder Hey Children's Hospital; honorary FRCS (England).
- Known for
- Leading the widely reported 2007 surgery on Lakshmi, a baby girl from Bihar born with eight limbs, who went on to live a normal life. He has performed thousands of joint replacements and complex procedures.
- Other work
- Founded the SPARSH Foundation (2007), which supports free surgeries for underprivileged patients, and chairs SPARSH Academy, the group's medical training arm.
- Honours
- Karnataka Rajyotsava Award (2007); CEO of the Year (mid-size company), CEO Clubs India (2023).
Dr. Vishal Rao is a Bengaluru cancer surgeon best known for the Aum Voice Prosthesis, a device priced at about ₹50 that helps people speak again after their voice box is removed for throat cancer. Imported devices had typically cost ₹15,000 to ₹35,000, leaving many patients who could not afford them without a voice.
- Specialty
- Surgery for head and neck cancers, including cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box.
- Known for
- Developing the low-cost Aum Voice Prosthesis, which he fits at the same low cost for all patients, and campaigning actively against tobacco use, a leading cause of head and neck cancer in India.
- Current role
- Head and neck surgical oncologist at HCG, Bengaluru (sources checked are several years old; confirm his current title with HCG).