As a diversified business conglomerate with business interests in 20 sectors in the UAE and other countries, the Thumbay Group moves forward with major expansion plans and plans to raise the size of its workforce to 25,000
-By Vasujit Kalia

Introduction
Dr Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group, didn’t know his life was about to change when he had a chance meeting with the ruling family of Ajman. Since then there has been no looking back for him. Right from establishing the first and only private medical university in the region to having an international retails business to being the biggest affordable healthcare provider in the country, Dr Moideen has done it all. Below are excerpts from our conversation with this outstanding businessman.

Since your inception in 1998, you have traversed a long way can you shed some light on this illustrious journey – how difficult the journey was and what challenges you have faced?

I used to travel a lot to different parts of the world on business tours. On one such visit to the UAE, I had a chance meeting with the Ruling Family of Ajman and that meeting changed the direction of my business. I was asked to establish a medical college in Ajman. I took up the offer and in a way, accidentally jumped into education and healthcare. Once Gulf Medical University (GMU) was established, we focused all our efforts in making the institution one of the best in the region, and we succeeded. Today, students from over 80 countries pursue their studies at our university, in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy. We also offer masters programs in Clinical Pathology, Toxicology, Human Reproductive Biology, Public Health and Physiotherapy.

We were the first to establish the first private teaching hospital in the region. Even establishing a hospital was a big challenge. But, due to our perseverance and hard work, we are today one of the biggest healthcare providers in the country and the first to establish an Academic Health System in the region’s private sector. My elder son Akbar MoideenThumbay looks after the Healthcare Division, as its Vice President. We treat patients from 175 nationalities. We are accredited by JCI which is an international recognition of our high quality affordable healthcare services.

Furthermore, we are the only private medical university in the region, the only private academic health system in the region with its attached THUMBAY hospitals, THUMBAY clinics, THUMBAY Day Care hospitals, THUMBAY pharmacies, and the only private Innovation and Research Division that makes us unique and different. The doctors at the THUMBAY Hospitals network which are a part of the Gulf Medical University Academic Health System (GMUAHS) hold dual roles as Academic Faculty in the professorial and academic ranks as well as treating patients and involving in scientific research.

The THUMBAY Group today is a diversified business conglomerate with business interests in 20 sectors in the UAE and other countries. Our group currently includes Gulf Medical University, THUMBAY Hospital network, THUMBAY Day Care Centers, THUMBAY Clinics, an international chain of Coffee Shops called Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe, and international chain of health clubs called Body & Soul Health Club & Spa, chain of THUMBAY Pharmacies, THUMBAY Labs – one of the largest networks of CAP-accredited diagnostic labs in the region, Zo& Mo optical shops, THUMBAY Media, THUMBAY Technologies, THUMBAY Builders, The Flower Shoppe, THUMBAY Marketing and Trading Division, HEALTH magazine, Nutri Plus Vita Stores among others.

My younger son Akram Moideen Thumbay oversees the activities of THUMBAY Builders and THUMBAY Technologies as the Director. Initially, we did face challenges, but we have overcome challenges and used every opportunity to our advantage and have become a name to reckon with in a short span of time.

We were the first to establish the first private teaching hospital in the region. Even establishing a hospital was a big challenge. But, due to our perseverance and hard work, we are today one of the biggest healthcare providers in the country and the first to establish an Academic Health System in the region’s private sector.
– Dr Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group

The foundation of your philosophy is “Growth through Innovation” can you elaborate on it?
We have developed a very strong value system in our organization. We have always supported integration and a sense of belonging. We concentrate on Excellence, Trust, Knowledge, Innovation and Integrity as our main pillars of the organization. It is easy to gain the confidence, as long as we as promoters are clear in our ideas and involve the team in decision making. Similarly, we developed great confidence in our clients by offering them the best of education and healthcare.

Our team is trained at regular intervals to tune with the latest trends. Involvement and group work is our philosophy. Though I guide my team in finalizing and implementing the work, I brainstorm and discuss in detail before we implement any services or ideas. Presently I am heading a team of professionals and am involved in planning and policy making.

How has the health care sector evolved over the decades across the UAE?
The healthcare sector in the United Arab Emirates has witnessed a big expansion over the last four decades. The industry is expanding rapidly to meet both the evolving needs of a growing population and the nation’s ambition to become a regional medical tourism hub. This rapid expansion is challenging the ability of the U.A.E. to both provide adequate medical personnel and contain costs.

However, U.A.E. government entities have adopted a series of long-term initiatives, above all the ‘U.A.E. Vision 2021’, to address these challenges and guide the sustainable growth of this sector. There are several other reasons for the growth of the U.A.E. healthcare market. These include the introduction of universal health insurance. Another factor is increasing affluence, which is leading to demand for higher- quality healthcare.
Artificial Intelligence would significantly help doctors and healthcare professionals of the future, increasing the efficiency of diagnoses by improving speed and accuracy. AI would also help generate a lot of data, which would be of great help to preventive medicine, by detecting pre-symptoms signs of patients and even addressing chronic conditions.

The UAE government entities have adopted a series of long-term initiatives, above all the ‘U.A.E. Vision 2021’, to address these challenges and guide the sustainable growth of this sector. There are several other reasons for the growth of the healthcare market. These include the introduction of universal health insurance. Another factor is increasing affluence, which is leading to demand for higher-quality healthcare.

You have been awarded with so many awards and accolades. Please tell more on these recognitions and how these awards motivate you to work harder and achieve more?
Appreciation and recognition are major factors that motivate us to work harder and aim higher. Recognitions can be an incredibly powerful tool and in my case it helps me motivate my team and get the best out of them. I feel all these recognitions are in a way attributed to the efforts of my team and reflect upon their commitment and dedication to realize my goals.
You are known for your community service initiatives can please tell us more about few CSR projects you are associated with?
We have been involved in community service for almost two decades. We have been conducting free health camps benefiting people across the various segments of the society. Touching the lives of the needy has been our motto. Some of the initiatives have been ‘Go Green’ Initiative: The tagline of the ‘Go Green’ initiative is, “There is no planet B”, emphasizing the need to protect the earth by planting more trees and spreading greenery, through the slogan: Save the  Planet, Plant a Tree. We have launched ‘Planting a sapling’ at the hospital premises to kick-off the initiative. We strongly feel that the campaign would inspire people to learn to respect and care for their environment through hands-on efforts. Thumbay Group would include more environment-focused activities in its CSR plan.

Sponsor a Medical Professional: The ‘Sponsor a Medical Professional’program of GMU provides a global platform for corporates, philanthropists, service organizations, non-governmental organizations and agencies of the State to contribute their might in resolving the dearth of medical professionals all over the world. It is an opportunity to develop a global partnership for health development.

Happiness Hour: The concept of ‘happiness hour’ was conceived by Thumbay Group following in the footsteps of the UAE government’s National Programme for Happiness and Positivity, a unique program designed to establish an environment that ensures the happiness and well-being of society. As part of the ‘Happiness Hour’ initiative, all establishments under the Thumbay Hospital network of academic hospitals and Thumbay Clinic’s state-of-the-art family clinics, both owned and operated by the healthcare division of Thumbay Group–offered free consultations across all specialties, to patients during the “happy hour”.

Free Health Camps: Regular Health Camps are held as a part of the humanitarian services of the Group, individually or in partnership with other service organizations. Free consultation in different areas of medicine is given at these camps. Thumbay Hospital also organizes Blood Donation Camps on a regular basis.

The Thumbay Hospital network is the largest network of private academic hospitals in the Middle East region. The hospitals and Thumbay Clinics are presently located in Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Hyderabad (India). Together, these hospitals and clinics treat patients from over 175 countries and offer world-class care at affordable costs.

Holistic Treatment: Thumbay Hospitals’ Family Medicine Department provides health care services in an integrated holistic manner and in harmony with the other Departments in the Hospital. Family Medicine
specialty provides physical, social and psychological health care to discover the hidden cause of sickness.
Health Card: Considered by many as an expression of care, the Thumbay Hospital Health Card offers many benefits locally and internationally.

CSR activities of Thumbay Group also include corporate sports events and scholarships for deserving students each year.

Free/ Subsidized Medical Treatment: Medical treatment is the right to all and is practiced in all our establishments where several needy patients have been offered completely free treatment or offered huge discounts to help the people to get quality medical care.

The patient affairs department of the Thumbay Hospital, the first ever such unit in the private sector in the UAE, has been instrumental in identifying needy patients for free or very subsided medical care. Thumbay Hospital has been in the forefront of holding regular free health camps, which include free Lab Tests, free radiology tests and free medicine and thus identify the poor and needy patients who ultimately benefit from these services.

What are some of the peculiar ailments in UAE and how equipped you are to treat them?

The Thumbay Hospital network is the largest network of private academic hospitals in the Middle East region. The hospitals and Thumbay Clinics are presently located in Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Hyderabad (India). Together, these hospitals and clinics treat patients from over 175 countries and offer world-class care at affordable costs.

And your expansion plans?

Thumbay Group is presently going through a very important phase of expansion, both in size and global presence, in accordance with its long-term strategic plans. Not only would this phase of expansion expand the size of the group’s businesses tenfold, but this would also raise the size of our workforce to 25,000.
Some of the key aspects of the strategic plans include:

• The Thumbay academic hospital network will increase its capacity to 1000 beds in the UAE, 1500 beds in India and 750 beds elsewhere in the Gulf and in Africa.
• GMU is soon to add Engineering and Management courses.
• Plans are also afoot to open three new University campuses across 3 different countries.
• By 2022, we also plan to add 25 Thumbay labs, 100 Thumbay pharmacies, 40 Zo & Mo Opticals outlets, 100 Blends & Brews coffee shops, 25 Body & Soul health clubs, 50 Nutri Plus Vita stores.