VMPL
Bangalore (Karnataka) [India], November 20: Through a new postgraduate programme Executive Master in Healthcare Leadership and Management, the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute is deepening cross-border collaboration with India through its Asian Institute for Healthcare Leadership and Management (Asian HEAL) to strengthen regional leadership capacity and prepare senior healthcare professionals to drive transformation across Asia's health systems.
This partnership draws on leading expertise from across the region, including distinguished Indian healthcare leaders such as Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, Narayana Health, and Dr N. Venkatesh Prajna, Chief, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services, Aravind Eye Hospital. Both have pioneered some of Asia's most impactful innovations in delivering affordable, high-quality, and sustainable care.
A milestone in Singapore-India collaboration
The Executive Master's programme represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Singapore and India, combining Singapore's governance capabilities with India's expertise in affordable care delivery innovations. Its curriculum is grounded on regional perspectives, with the 15-month, part- time programme beginning in Singapore and featuring immersive site visits to India as well as Thailand and the Philippines.
The syllabus underscores the value of Asian-led solutions to manage Asian healthcare challenges. By drawing lessons from Asian-led models rather than Western frameworks, the programme equips leaders to navigate the region's unique social, economic, and infrastructural realities. This approach also fills a critical gap: acknowledging that Asia's diverse population densities, resource limitations, and cultural contexts demand solutions designed from within.
"Asia's healthcare challenges cannot be solved by importing models, they must be shaped by leaders who understand the realities on the ground. Asian HEAL offers a powerful platform for us to share what has worked in India and learn from our neighbours, so that together we can build systems that are efficient, compassionate, and designed for scale. This collaboration marks an important step toward creating the next generation of healthcare leaders for our region," explains Dr Shetty.
Real-world impact through practitioner-led learning
The Executive Master's programme focuses on experiential learning through real-world case studies, site visits, and interactions with practicing faculty across Asia. The curriculum covers strategic management, innovation, operations, and systems thinking, empowering professionals to translate leadership theory into practicum.
Through Dr Shetty and Dr Prajna's participation as teaching faculty, participants gain direct insights into India's transformative healthcare models, including Narayana Health's community-based cardiac care and Aravind Eye Care's scale-driven, high-volume approach. These models are highly relevant lessons on how technology, operational design, and data-driven management can expand access and improve outcomes, even under resource constraints.
Underscoring the value in the cross exchange in learning, Dr Prajna points out, "Collaboration is at the heart of sustainable healthcare transformation. Through Asian HEAL, we have a unique opportunity to engage deeply with peers across Asia, exchange practical insights, and collectively reimagine how care can be delivered more effectively. When regional expertise comes together in this way, it creates lasting impact for both practitioners and the patients we serve."
A unique part of the programme in India will be a fireside chat with Dr Prajna and Dr Paul Salins, Senior Maxillo Facial Surgeon and Director of Mazumdar Shaw Medical Foundation, which will enable participants to lean into their insights on how collaboration across borders can inspire practical innovation.
The dialogue, titled "Strategic Innovations for Future Healthcare", will explore the ways in which technology, leadership, and cross-sector collaboration are redefining hospital operations and patient care in the region.
"Dialogues like the fireside chat are important in highlighting the lived experiences of healthcare practitioners. These conversations offer invaluable insights from those who have successfully navigated change within complex health systems. By grounding our teaching in real-world practice, we empower participants to translate leadership principles into measurable systems transformation that can directly improve patient care and outcomes across the region," shares Professor Ong Biauw Chi, Course Director of the Executive Master's Programme, who is also Chief Risk Officer, SingHealth.
By synergising Singapore's systems excellence with India's spirit of innovation, the Executive Master in Healthcare Leadership C Management programme is poised to leverage collaborations in healthcare leadership in Asia to empower professionals to build stronger, more equitable, and future-ready health systems.
About Asian HEAL
The Asian Institute for Healthcare Leadership and Management (Asian HEAL) is a leadership knowledge platform that seeks to elevate healthcare management excellence in Asia. Housed under the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI), Asian HEAL draws on the combined expertise of SingHealth, Singapore's largest healthcare group, and Duke-NUS Medical School, a leading academic medical institution, to strengthen healthcare leadership and management capabilities across Asia.
Engaging with a network of healthcare professionals in Asia, we champion an Asian-focused approach to addressing healthcare management challenges by enhancing regional capabilities, developing a cadre of astute healthcare leaders, and fostering regional collaboration.
About SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute
The SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute is an enabling platform for global health activities across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre.
Harnessing the strengths and expertise of SingHealth and Duke-NUS Medical School, the institute advances health equity by addressing current and emerging health challenges across Asia and beyond. In collaboration with partners worldwide, we work to tackle prevalent health issues, strengthen health systems, and better protect countries from pandemics and disease threats.
www.duke-nus.edu.sg/sdghi
About the Executive Master in Healthcare Leadership G Management
The Executive Master in Healthcare Leadership and Management is awarded by the National University of Singapore, ranked eighth in the world and first in Asia.
Curated by the Asian Institute for Healthcare Leadership and Management (Asian HEAL), it is designed to equip senior healthcare professionals with the strategic foresight, operational acumen, and collaborative mindset required to transform Asia's health systems.
The inaugural run of the programme is delivered through immersive modules in Singapore, India, Thailand and the Philippines, blending classroom learning with experiential engagement, guided by leading practitioners from across Asia's healthcare ecosystem.
Registration for the August 2026 intake of the Executive Master's programme is now open. Find out more here: https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/sdghi/asianheal/executive-master
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