Dr. Manikanta
Founder & Managing Director, SENSE Health
Dr. Manikanta is the founder and managing director of SENSE Health, a stroke and neuro rehabilitation hospital in Bengaluru. He is a physician with a fellowship in emergency medicine who is now completing a postgraduate diploma in biomedical engineering at IIT Delhi. He trained in medicine at Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and founded SENSE Health to bring hospital-grade medical cover and rehabilitation technology together under one roof, so that patients leaving an ICU or hospital ward in Bengaluru can begin intensive rehabilitation straight away.
He has led SENSE Health as its chief executive since January 2025, co-reviews every guide in the Knowledge Hub with Dr. Vaibhav Shivram Lokhande, and writes regularly on rehabilitation, neuroscience and healthcare technology.
Qualifications and Registration
- Medicine
- MBBS, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka; Fellowship in Emergency Medicine
- Engineering
- Postgraduate Diploma in Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (in progress)
- Registration
- Karnataka Medical Council (163135)
- Certification
- Basic Life Support (BLS); Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS); Emergency Care and Life Support, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, 2021
- Role
- Founder & Managing Director; chief executive of SENSE Health since January 2025
- Technology
- Designed and built SENSE OS, the in-house software platform on which SENSE Health runs
- Volunteering
- Healthcare professional, Indian Red Cross Society, Karnataka
Research and Recognition
First author of "Relationship between personality traits and tobacco smoking behaviour in outpatients of a tertiary care hospital, Mandya", International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2021, and co-author of a study on diagnostic delay and out-of-pocket expenditure in extra-pulmonary tuberculosis.
What He Built at SENSE Health
The idea behind SENSE Health is that rehabilitation after a stroke, brain injury or critical illness should start the day a patient is medically stable, not weeks later, and should not stop because a medical problem appears. That is why the hospital runs a 24/7 emergency response team of on-site doctors backed by Cloudphysician's intensivists through tele-ICU, admits patients directly from the ICU, including those still on oxygen or a ventilator, and keeps a respiratory therapist on site around the clock.
He also designed and built SENSE OS, the hospital's own software platform, which runs SENSE Health's day-to-day operations. That interest in engineering shows in the clinical technology too: robotic gait training, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, rTMS, high-intensity electromagnetic therapy, gamified hand and balance training, and Smart ICU monitoring, the first in a Bangalore rehabilitation hospital. Every one of them is presented on this website with the evidence for and against it, under an editorial policy that does not allow promises of recovery.
In His Words
“Stroke recovery should never be guesswork. It must be structured, measurable, and grounded in neuroscience.”— Dr. Manikanta, on functional hand training after stroke, February 2026
“Balance decline is not just a feeling of "unsteadiness." It reflects measurable deficits in postural control, weight distribution, neuromuscular coordination, and reaction timing.”— Dr. Manikanta, on why balance loss should not be treated as normal ageing, February 2026
“Nation-building doesn't only happen in Parliament or on borders. It happens quietly, when a patient walks again after a stroke, when a senior regains dignity, when care reaches someone who thought hope was lost.”— Dr. Manikanta, Republic Day, January 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded SENSE Health?
SENSE Health was founded by Dr. Manikanta, its Founder and Managing Director, together with Hemanth Dhaner, Founder and Chief Financial Officer, and Dr. Vaibhav Shivram Lokhande, Co-founder and Consultant Physiatrist. SENSE Health is a stroke and neuro rehabilitation hospital in Bengaluru and a unit of Life Linkers Pvt. Ltd.
What are Dr. Manikanta's qualifications?
He holds an MBBS from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, and a Fellowship in Emergency Medicine. He is certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and is registered with the Karnataka Medical Council (163135). He is currently completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Biomedical Engineering at IIT Delhi.
What is SENSE OS?
SENSE OS is the in-house software platform on which SENSE Health runs its day-to-day operations. Dr. Manikanta designed and built it.
What is his role at SENSE Health?
Dr. Manikanta has led SENSE Health as its chief executive since January 2025. He also co-reviews every guide in the Knowledge Hub with Dr. Vaibhav Shivram Lokhande before publication.
What research has Dr. Manikanta published?
He is first author of a 2021 paper on personality traits and tobacco smoking behaviour in the International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, and co-author of a study on extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. His research was presented at the American College of Physicians National Abstract Competition in San Diego, USA, in June 2025.
How can I contact SENSE Health?
Call or WhatsApp +91 96633 34659, or email listen@sensehealth.co.in. The hospital is at AVR Heights, 100 Feet Road, HRBR Layout 1st Block, Kalyan Nagar, Bengaluru 560043.
Talk to SENSE Health
Free first assessment for inpatient, OPD or home rehabilitation. Call us while your family member is still in hospital if you are planning a transfer.
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