At the first edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Mangaluru Healthcare Summit 2026 held on Saturday, Dr K Sharath Rao, vice-chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), said trust is the base to establishing coastal Karnataka as a global healthcare destination. Rao stated the region produces nearly 2,000 medical graduates, 700–800 specialists, and around 200 super-specialists annually, and stressed integrating academia with healthcare research. Dr Vijay Bhaskaran, COO of Kauvery Hospitals and convener CII Karnataka Healthcare taskforce, highlighted Karnataka’s rise in medical tourism rankings to the top three now, and identified priorities including building an integrated healthcare ecosystem and strengthening trust in non-metro systems. Dr Alexander Thomas, founder and patron of Association of Healthcare Providers (India) (AHPI), emphasized collective efforts to position the region as an integrated global healthcare destination, focusing on scalable healthcare models, adoption of medtech and AI, and evolving doctor skillsets.