LoUAE: Thumbay Moideen, the Founder President of the UAE-based Thumbay Group has been featured on the cover of ‘Forbes Middle East’, one of the top finance and business magazines in the Middle East region. The cover story, titled “Healthy Choice” traces Thumbay Moideen’s business journey in the UAE starting from setting up the Gulf Medical University (GMU) in Ajman, to emerging as a prominent name in healthcare and medical education by establishing the leading network of academic hospitals in the country and making GMU one of the highest-in-demand private medical universities in the region.
The cover story is a detailed account of how Moideen’s business acumen and confidence leads GMU and the Thumbay network of hospitals on the continuous path of growth and excellence. Forbes Middle East estimates his fortunes at $1.8 billion.
According to the article, GMU gets around 6000 student applications for just around 270 spots, every year. Since 2003, over 2000 students have graduated from GMU and presently, the student body is made up of 36% Arabs, 32% Asians and 22% Africans and the rest from Europe and Asia. It also has 162 faculty members from 22 countries, says the article. 22% of GMU graduates are admitted to US medical schools for further training. “GMU is part of a network of four pioneering teaching hospitals that now train 19% of doctors in the country and treat nearly 1,800 patients a day,” it says.
Moideen’s foray into healthcare, says the article, started with the setting up of a 200-bed teaching hospital in Ajman, in 2002. Two 60-bed hospitals, one each in Fujairah and Sharjah in 2011, and a 150-bed hospital in Dubai in 2015 followed. The Thumbay Hospital network reached several notches higher with the prestigious JCI accreditation it received in 2013.
The article also talks about Thumbay Group’s future plans such as the upcoming medical school project in Ghana, which is expected to open by 2017. Mentioning the opening of Thumbay Hospital in Hyderabad – India last year, the article goes on to say that Moideen plans to build hospitals in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Mumbai and Bengaluru, next year. “He’s become a billionaire with plans to expand elsewhere in the Gulf and Africa,” it says. The article also features Akbar Moideen Thumbay, his elder son who manages the Healthcare Division of the Group as its Vice-President, while his younger son Akram Moideen Thumbay is the Director Operations of the Construction & Renovation Division.
From humble beginnings in 1998 when Thumbay Moideen migrated to the UAE from India, almost two decades since its inception, today, the Thumbay Group under his Presidency has grown into an international business conglomerate headquartered at DIFC-Dubai. Not only has he made a mark as a pioneer in his flagship businesses: education, healthcare and research, but he has also diversified his business across 13 different sectors and has established global presence. With the completion of the ongoing projects, the Group will employ 6000 people in the next two years, which will reach 15,000 employees by the end of 2020.
Hearty Congratulations Moideen! You have undertaken the noble task of extending healthcare and medical education to many by establishing the leading network of academic hospitals in the UAE. No wonder then that GMU is one of the highest-in-demand private medical universities in the region. May every effort of yours be abundantly blessed. I will always remember your kindness to my late brother Gerard.