Hyderabad, April 2: The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), through its Dr. Kakarla Subba Rao Centre for Healthcare Management, hosted Healthitude 3.0, a one-day intercollegiate health and management festival, at its College Park Campus in Banjara Hills on April 2. Centred on the theme “HALT. HUMANIZE. HUSTLE.”, the event brought together students, academicians, and industry experts to explore the future of healthcare leadership, innovation, and wellness.
The programme began with a prayer and ceremonial lamp lighting, followed by a welcome address by Dr. Reshma M. Gopan, Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator, who highlighted the event’s growing scale, with over 750 participants from more than 30 colleges.
Dr. Subodh Kandamuthan, Director, Dr. Kakarla Subba Rao Centre for Healthcare Management and Programme Director, ASCI PGDM (Hospital Management), in his opening remarks, emphasized ASCI’s legacy in management education and its commitment to creating a student-centric ecosystem through industry engagement and live projects.
Delivering the special address, Dr. N. Ramesh Kumar, IAS (Retd.), Director General, ASCI, underscored the transformative potential of the healthcare sector. He noted that while information technology defined the past, healthcare will shape the future, adding that “life should not become a burden, but a celebration.” He highlighted advancements in human biology, including emerging breakthroughs such as Yamanaka factors, and stressed the importance of continuous learning in an era of rapidly expanding knowledge.
A key highlight of the event was the release of Healthitude Magazine 3.0, featuring student insights and perspectives on contemporary healthcare challenges.
Among the keynote speakers, Dr. K. Madan Gopal, Advisor, Public Health Administration, NHSRC, spoke on the growing role of digitalisation in enabling data-driven and patient-centric healthcare systems.
Ms. Grace Achungura, Health Financing for Universal Health Coverage (UHC), WHO India, addressed the critical theme of “Humanizing Health Systems: The Role of Financing.” She described health financing as a major global challenge shaped by rising demand and limited resources. She emphasized that effective financing hinges on three key questions—where resources come from, how they are pooled, and how they are spent—and highlighted the global shift from volume-based care to value-based healthcare focused on outcomes and efficiency.
A panel discussion on “HALT: Humanize & Hustle!” featured Dr. Sravani Reddy, Founder and CEO, SOPRAV Healthcare Consulting; Mr. Hridananda Prusty, Policy Professional and Author; and Mr. Jashanjit Singh, Vice President – Operations, IKS Health. Moderated by Dr. S. Sandesh, Senior Consultant, Public Health, ASCI, the session explored balancing efficiency with empathy in modern healthcare systems.
Adding a wellness perspective, Dr. Bhadram, film actor and wellness expert, spoke on stress management and lifestyle practices in the digital age.
The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Sridevi Ayaluri, Senior Advisor, ASCI.
The festival also featured a vibrant mix of academic and cultural competitions, including e-poster presentations, extempore, debates, runway events, theme dance, and vocal and instrumental music, showcasing the creativity and talent of participating students.
The event concluded with a valedictory ceremony and prize distribution, celebrating participation, innovation, and excellence, and reaffirming ASCI’s commitment to nurturing future-ready healthcare leaders.
