Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Ashok Soota, Chairman and Chief Mentor of Happiest Health inaugurates the Ethics in Healthcare Summit 2025
The Ethics in Healthcare Summit 2025, organised by Happiest Health, a leading health and wellness enterprise, was inaugurated by Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, and Ashok Soota, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Happiest Health. The summit convenes India’s leading voices from medicine, policy, law, and administration to deliberate on ethics as the central principle guiding healthcare delivery in India.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka, stated, “Ethical healthcare means providing the best possible care at the most affordable rates. When hospitals operate purely as profit-driven businesses, families are pushed into poverty simply because someone falls sick. True healthcare responsibility lies in prevention – reaching every doorstep for early detection, regulating food safety, and ensuring quality treatment remains accessible to all. Healthcare must serve humanity, not corporate targets.”
Ashok Soota, Chairman and Chief Mentor, Happiest Health, shared, “Ethics in healthcare is the discipline that preserves human dignity and guides us toward what is right. Without it, medicine becomes mechanical and corrupted, where unnecessary procedures flourish and patients suffer harm through negligence. True ethical practice means educating patients, avoiding unnecessary interventions, and prioritizing quality over quantity-driven rankings. Ethics gives us the wisdom to heal, reminding us that healthcare is not about providing longevity but about providing a meaningful and happy life. As AI evolves to suggest better pathways, we must ensure technology serves ethical care, not profit-driven medicine, always remembering that every decision should be taken in the interest of the patient.”
Opening the event, Soota highlighted the need for systemic reform in India’s wellness and healthcare sectors, emphasising the importance of ethical conduct and patient-centricity in building long-term trust in Indian healthcare. Gundu Rao, present as the Guest of Honour, highlighted the government’s commitment to strengthening patient rights while ensuring access and affordability for all.
The summit featured a range of panel discussions and speeches with experts who will address pressing industry issues. It will have speakers from Narayana Health, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University) Journal of Medical Ethics, Medical Ethics Society Forum, NLSIU, Patients for Patient Safety Foundation, Medical Education Department of Government of Karnataka, Private Hospitals & Nursing Homes Association.
These sessions analysed the promises and risks associated with artificial intelligence in healthcare, highlight the importance of transparency, explore medical accountability and self-regulation, and discuss the role of compassion in clinical practice. Industry leaders from medicine, ethics, and law will bridge the gap between policy and practice, providing nuanced perspectives for India’s evolving healthcare ecosystem.
