• Home
• /
• UAE

VPS Healthcare founder Dr Vayalil to be honoured at United Nations

Founder and managing director of VPS Healthcare will be recognized for his philanthropic efforts at a special reception to be held in New York.

Abu Dhabi – Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, founder and managing director of VPS Healthcare, will be honoured at an event being hosted on May 5, at the United Nations in New York, for his philanthropy. Senior UN officials, members of the diplomatic community and leaders from civil society will grace the occasion with their presence.

Dr Vayalil is being recognised for community welfare initiatives which include the '1000 Free Heart Surgeries' initiative for the underprivileged, which was launched as a tribute to the late His Highness Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

As part of the initiative, people from around the world, from new-born babies to a 70 year-old, have undergone successful cardiac surgeries.

Commenting on this privileged occasion, Dr Vayalil said: “I am honoured to have been invited to the United Nations. I am also grateful that our work is being recognised in such august company.”

Dr Vayalil has incorporated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into VPS Healthcare's business model. VPS has screened more than 5,000 women across the UAE. In October, 2014, they set the Guinness World Record for the 'largest simultaneous self-breast examination'.

In addition to the above-mentioned initiatives, he has also made significant donations to the UAE Red Crescent for Syrian refugees and to the Indian Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for flood-hit Jammu & Kashmir. He also extended his support to the kin of the victims of the tragic Mangalore plane crash in May 2010. He offered jobs and educational assistance to the families of the victims and many of the people that took up jobs at VPS Healthcare continue to work with the company even today.

His initiatives are not limited to healthcare alone. He is supporting the cause of the Non Resident Indians (NRIs) Voting Rights as a commitment to ensure that NRIs can exercise their constitutional right to vote. He filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Supreme Court of India in 2014, and it’s due to his continuous efforts the Supreme Court, Government of India and the Election Commission conceded to allow 10 million NRIs to cast their votes from their place of residence rather than traveling to India for the same.

Amir Dossal, founder and chairman of Global Partnerships Forum, and former Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, expressing his appreciation about this milestone, stated:

“Dr Vayalil is an extraordinary philanthropist, who is dedicated to serving people. His tireless efforts have helped the unprivileged across the world. During my career I have been fortunate to have worked with a number of well-known philanthropists and I must admit that Dr. Shamsheer is very committed to the causes he takes up,” said Dossal.

The event is also poised to discuss the role of the private sector and civil society in advancing the UN’s goals and objectives, particularly in addressing the healthcare gaps in developing countries.