Mother Teresa’s physician Dr Devi Shetty
BANGALORE, India, Wednesday January 13, 2016 – One of the world’s top cardiac surgeons, Dr. Devi Shetty, is applauding the decision to clear the late Mother Teresa’s path to sainthood.
Mother Teresa, widely admired around the world as a champion of the poor in the slums of India, is expected to be declared a Catholic saint this year now that Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to her intercession.
“I had the privilege of meeting Mother as a doctor, and I ended up becoming her disciple,” said Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman and founder of Narayana Health and Health City Cayman Islands, who served as Mother Teresa’s personal physician for the last five years of her life.
“Although I am a man of science, I recognized easily that this woman of faith was different. She possessed a divine compassion for all those who suffered, and she offered love in a way that surpassed anything I have ever witnessed,” he recalled.
Inspired by Mother Teresa’s compassion for the poor, Dr. Shetty, 62, established a highly regarded network of 26 hospitals throughout India and one in the Caribbean.
The Indian philanthropist and cardiac surgeon has applied economies of scale to provide affordable healthcare in south Asia and the Cayman Islands, bringing to life his vision of ensuring that high-quality healthcare is available to all in need, especially those who may not be able to afford such care.
By improving efficiencies and employing highly trained doctors working with the latest technology, Dr. Shetty’s skilled teams provide advanced technical surgeries at a fraction of the cost incurred in the United States.
“Being in Mother Teresa’s presence always transported me to a world of peace and calm,” said Dr. Shetty, who credits the Catholic nun for his passion to make healthcare accessible to all.
“Today, although I don’t feel her physical presence, she always remains in my thoughts and prayers guiding me at every crossroad and keeping me on the right path no matter how trying it may be,” said the doctor who has performed more than 15,000 heart operations in his career.
Mother Teresa died in 1997 at age 87.