Robots can operate, but only humans can heal: Dr Sudarshan Ballal

At the India Today South Conclave 2025, Dr H. Sudarshan Ballal, Chairman of Manipal Health Enterprises, presented his vision of Healing 2.0 – a future where cutting-edge technology and human compassion work hand in hand. He stressed that innovation without empathy makes medicine cold, while compassion without innovation can be inadequate. 

Highlighting advances like robotics, precision medicine, stem cell therapy, xenotransplantation, and remote monitoring, Dr Ballal noted that technology speeds recovery, but the human touch remains irreplaceable. 

Patients, he said, seek healing, not just treatment – reminding us that the warmth of doctors and nurses is what stays with them long after the machines are turned off.