Dr. Devi Shetty Receives France's National Order of Merit

#GS-2 #Current Events #International #National #Healthcare

Key takeaways

Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite, which is France's second-highest national honor.
The award was established by Charles de Gaulle on December 3, 1963, to unify various ministerial distinctions.
Dr. Shetty performed India's first neonatal open-heart surgery in 1992 on a 21-day-old infant.
He has been recognized with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012 for his work in affordable healthcare.

The French government gave the Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite (Knight of the National Order of Merit) to Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty. He is the founder and chairman of Narayana Health. This award was presented during a special event in Bengaluru.

This is a top French honor and the second-highest national decoration in France. Only the Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour) ranks higher than this award.

The President of France gives this award to both French citizens and foreign nationals. It recognizes people for great work in civil or military fields. It also honors those who show strong solidarity or help France's global image.

President Charles de Gaulle started this order on December 3, 1963. He wanted to replace 16 different ministerial awards with one single, modern system.
The award has five levels. There are three ranks: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), and Commandeur (Commander). There are also two higher dignities: Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand-Croix (Grand Cross).
The award looks like a blue-enameled six-armed star with oak leaves. It hangs from a special blue ribbon called bleu de France.
This system is more inclusive than the Legion of Honour. It follows strict gender equality rules and is easier for young innovators and civil society leaders to achieve.

He is a famous Indian heart surgeon and healthcare businessman. As the Founder and Chairman of Narayana Health, he created a model that provides high-quality healthcare at a very low cost.

He used the idea of scale to make heart surgeries cheap for everyone. Because of this, people call him the Henry Ford of heart surgery.
In 1992, he performed India's first open-heart surgery on a baby only 21 days old. He has done over 15,000 heart operations and was the doctor for Mother Teresa.
He helped start the Yeshasvini Cooperative Farmers’ Health Care Scheme in Karnataka. This scheme uses micro-health insurance to give rural farmers affordable surgery.
He has received several big awards, including the Padma Shri in 2004, the Padma Bhushan in 2012, the Dr. B. C. Roy National Award, and the Nikkei Asia Prize.