Dubai: The first female Indian doctor to practise in the UAE is now also Dubai’s richest Indian woman.
At the age of 84, Zulekha Daud is the Chairperson and Founder of the Zulekha Hospital Group and this UAE-based doctor-turned-entrepreneur also received India’s top honours for overseas Indians – the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award 2019, India’s DNA news website reports.
“There was little money in the house, but education was the key and was regarded as a means to livelihood,” said Dr Zulekha Dawood, her business now worth a few thousand crores of rupees.
From the humble abodes of Maharashtra to the swanky skyscrapers of Dubai, Dr. Zulekha Dawood’s life story is the epitome of resilience, determination, and hard work, the DNA report adds.
Dr. Zulekha Dawood’s father, in Nagpur, was a daily wage worker. Despite the dire situation, her ambition and dreams were never hindered. She graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the Government Medical College in Nagpur, specialising in gynaecology.
“I belong to a conservative Muslim family. My parents, however, were liberal in their thoughts and never discriminated against me because I was a girl. My father had a dream to see my siblings and me educated,” Dr Zulekha said.
Dr. Zulekha arrived in the UAE in 1964, becoming the first Indian female doctor to practise medicine in the country. As a gynaecologist, she delivered over 10,000 babies in Dubai, crafting her legacy in the medical fraternity.
“I was a gynaecologist by specialisation, but I was treating patients with a number of medical issues — from small-pox to a dislocated arm to viral infections. Malaria was rampant those days and they had to be treated immediately. Added to this, there were only few doctors in the city,” she told DNA.
Dr. Zulekha founded the Zulekha Hospital Group in 1992, which wasn’t just a business venture; but a ray of hope and health for numerous individuals.
Dr Zulekha was also mentioned in the Forbes Middle East’s top 100 Indian leaders in the UAE.
