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Bengaluru: In a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at redefining leadership in Indian healthcare, Narayana Health has announced that its upcoming smart hospital in Banashankari, Bengaluru, will be operationally managed by nurses, with the objective of preparing them to become future hospital chief executive officers (CEOs).

The announcement was made by Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman and Founder of Narayana Health, through a video shared on the hospital group’s official social media platforms.

Nurses to lead hospital operations

Addressing nurses directly, Dr Shetty questioned why private hospitals in India have traditionally been led by doctors or administrators rather than nursing professionals.

He said nurses possess the expertise to manage patients, coordinate hospital workflows and handle day-to-day operational challenges but have rarely been given opportunities to occupy leadership positions.

“The capability is there. But the system has never given you the runway. Today we are going to change all that,” he said.

According to Dr Shetty, the Banashankari facility will become India’s first fully smart and paperless hospital, designed to improve patient experience while delivering affordable healthcare.

Unique organisational model

The proposed hospital will operate with a significantly different organisational structure.

Dr Shetty said only professionals directly involved in patient care—including doctors, nurses and technicians—would work at the facility.

He added that the hospital would not have conventional administrative roles such as receptionists, secretaries, scribes, or dedicated human resources and finance departments.

Instead, nurses will be entrusted with the entire operational management and governance of the hospital alongside their clinical responsibilities.

Opportunity for 25 nurses

Narayana Health plans to recruit 25 nurses who aspire to build careers beyond bedside care and develop management expertise.

Selected candidates will continue performing their clinical duties while taking on operational leadership responsibilities within the hospital.

The initiative is intended to create a structured pathway for nurses to transition into executive leadership roles in healthcare institutions.

Dual salaries and IIM Bengaluru programme

Dr Shetty said the selected nurses would receive their regular clinical salary along with substantial monthly management incentives for their additional responsibilities.

He described the arrangement as effectively allowing participants to earn “two salaries” for their dual expertise in clinical care and hospital management.

The selected candidates will also be enrolled in an Executive Programme in Hospital Administration at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bengaluru, with the entire cost of the programme being sponsored by Narayana Health.

“We are not just hiring nurses for a new hospital. We are building the future leadership of global healthcare,” Dr Shetty said.

Open to young nursing professionals

The opportunity is open not only to experienced nurses but also to those with one or two years of professional experience after completing BSc Nursing or General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) courses.

Dr Shetty said the hospital is looking for candidates with ambition, leadership potential and a willingness to take on greater responsibilities, rather than focusing solely on years of experience.

He encouraged young nurses to view the initiative as an opportunity to move from bedside care into hospital leadership.

Redefining nursing careers

In its accompanying social media post, Narayana Health said the initiative seeks to transform the traditional perception of nurses as caregivers alone by creating a pathway into executive management.

If successful, the programme could become one of India’s first structured efforts to prepare nursing professionals for top leadership positions in hospital administration, roles that have historically been dominated by doctors, administrators and management professionals.

Conclusion

Narayana Health’s initiative represents a significant shift in the way leadership is cultivated within India’s healthcare sector. By combining clinical practice with management training, the programme aims to empower nurses to assume strategic leadership roles and potentially reshape hospital administration in the years ahead.