The award was presented by Dr Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), at a ceremony held at FICCI, New Delhi, on 27 October 2026. The award was received on behalf of the hospital by Dr Sudhakar Kantipudi, Chief Operating Officer – Teaching Hospitals, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), and Dr Avinash Shetty, Medical Superintendent, Kasturba Hospital, Manipal.
Kasturba Hospital is the teaching hospital of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal, and a unit of MAHE.
The hospital also achieved a significant distinction across the awards, with all three initiatives it nominated securing places among the top three finalists in their respective categories out of 157 nominations received by FICCI.
The winning entry, Manipal Matri-Amrit Milk Bank, received the Excellence in Community Engagement award. The hospital's Hospital-Wide CLABSI Prevention Programme, which focuses on reducing Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections through evidence-based multi-bundle interventions across Intensive Care Units (ICUs), High Dependency Units (HDUs) and wards, was selected among the top three finalists in the Excellence in Patient Safety category.
Its third initiative, titled "Everyone is a Hero, Every Second Counts", also reached the top three in the Excellence in Training and Skill Development Initiative of the Year category. The programme focuses on building a life-saving workforce through universal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and emergency response training.
The Manipal Matri-Amrit Milk Bank collects, screens, pasteurises and stores breast milk voluntarily donated by lactating mothers. The donated milk is provided to premature, low-birth-weight and sick newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) whose mothers are unable to breastfeed. The initiative ensures that these vulnerable infants have access to the protective benefits of human breast milk.
During the year under review, the milk bank supported 660 newborns by providing more than 538 litres of donor milk collected from 493 voluntary donor mothers. This marked an increase from the previous year, when the initiative supported 430 newborns with 300 litres of donor milk. The hospital also reported zero adverse events attributable to donor milk.
Alongside its milk collection and distribution activities, the initiative conducts regular counselling and awareness programmes to build trust among families and encourage breast milk donation across the region.
Congratulating the team, Dr H. S. Ballal, Pro Chancellor, MAHE, said, "This recognition from FICCI is a proud moment for Kasturba Hospital and the entire MAHE family. The Manipal Matri-Amrit Milk Bank reflects our belief that healthcare must reach beyond the hospital walls and touch the lives of the community we serve. Every drop of donated milk is a gift of life, and I thank the mothers who have donated and the doctors, nurses and staff who have made this initiative a success."
Dr Sharath K. Rao, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, said, "Kasturba Hospital has always combined clinical excellence with a deep commitment to society. The milk bank is a fine example of how a teaching hospital can build community trust, create awareness and improve outcomes for the most vulnerable newborns. Being among the top three in all three categories, from 157 nominations, including patient safety and CPR training, shows the depth of work happening across the hospital. This award will inspire our teams to take such community-centred initiatives forward across all our teaching hospitals."
Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, is a teaching hospital of Kasturba Medical College and a unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. MAHE is an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, offering more than 400 specialisations across Health Sciences (HS), Management, Law, Humanities and Social Sciences (MLHS), and Technology and Science (T&S) through its constituent units at campuses in Manipal, Mangalore, Bengaluru, Jamshedpur and Dubai.
With a track record in academics, state-of-the-art infrastructure and contributions to research, MAHE has received national and international recognition. In 2020, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, awarded the university the Institution of Eminence status. MAHE is currently ranked 3rd in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025 rankings. It is a preferred choice for students seeking a transformative learning experience and enriching campus life, as well as for national and multinational corporations seeking top talent.
The FICCI recognition marks an achievement for Kasturba Hospital's community engagement efforts, while its presence among the top three finalists in all three nominated categories highlights its initiatives in newborn care, patient safety and emergency response training.
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