Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy (R) having a word with nephrologist and MHEPL chairman H Sudarshan Ballal at the second Dr Sudarshan Ballal oration in Mangaluru on Tuesday.
Credit: DH Photo: Fakruddin H
Mangaluru: In a country where universal health coverage is still evolving, affordability to basic renal care remains as a medical challenge, Infosys co-founder and Padma Bhushan award winner N R Narayana Murthy said on Tuesday. Thus, there are many opportunities to reshape Indian nephrology and make huge contributions to global practices.
He was delivering the second Dr Sudarshan Ballal oration organised by the Department of Nephrology, KMC, Mangaluru, at Dr T M A Pai International Convention Centre.
"We need to innovate on affordable technologies, low-cost dialysis machines, homecare models that will extend life-saving treatment in rural areas, expanding transplant access with the help of online database accessible from remotest village and establishing district-level transplant centres to move transplants beyond elite institutions," he said.
Murthy also favoured a national movement for organ donation, with the support of leaders from all walks of life, to saves the lives of thousands of people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
Murthy, while delivering a talk on the topic, 'Emulating a high-class professional like Dr Sudarshan Ballal', said, "To carry Dr Sudarshan's legacy forward, we need to balance skills with empathy."
"We need to expand access to care, so that a patient is not denied of medical care due to where they live or how much they have. We need to champion organ donation which is a gift of life. A patient needs to be respected, heard and cared for. See patient as a human being first, just as Dr Ballal has done through out his career," Murthy said.
"In India, as the ratio of nephrologists to patients is very low, we need to train more specialists in the spirit of Dr Ballal — scientifically rigorous and ethically grounded," said Murthy who revealed that he was also a patient of Dr Ballal.
Earlier, chairman of the Medical Advisory Board, Manipal Hospitals Group, Dr Ballal was felicitated on the occasion.
Dr Ballal said, "It is a great honour to have an oration named after me at KMC, Mangaluru, where I had studied."
MAHE Vice Chancellor Lt Gen M D Venkatesh (retd) said Murthy had proved that honest people would succeed big time.
MAHE Pro Chancellor H S Ballal presided over the programme.
MAHE (Health Sciences) Pro Vice Chancellor Sharath K Rao, MAHE chief operating officer Anand Venugopal, KMC dean B Unnikrishnan, head of the Department of Nephrology Mayoor V Prabhu, among others, were present.