He may have traded his stethoscope for boardrooms, but Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil’s heart still beats for his fellow doctors. The UAE-based healthcare entrepreneur and founder and chairman of Burjeel Holdings personally fulfilled a promise he made just days after the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad, which killed 242 people, including four MBBS students and a doctor on the BJ Medical College campus.

Moved by the loss of young lives in his medical fraternity, Dr. Shamsheer pledged Dh500,000 each to the families of the four students who died. His total contribution, amounting to around Dh2.8 million, was distributed in a private ceremony held on campus.

A delegation from VPS Healthcare travelled from Abu Dhabi to hand over the cheques in person at the office of Dr. Minakshi Parikh, Dean of BJ Medical College. The presentation took place in the presence of Dr. Rakesh S. Joshi, Hospital Superintendent, and members of the Junior Doctors Association, who had been actively coordinating relief efforts.

Support for the Injured

In consultation with the college dean and the doctors’ association, 14 injured students, who had been hospitalised for five or more days with burns, fractures, or internal trauma, were also identified for financial support. Each received around Dh15,000, helping cover medical expenses and recovery costs.

What stood out was Dr. Shamsheer’s decision to bypass institutions and government bodies. Instead, he placed full trust in the Junior Doctors Association to manage the distribution of aid.

The Man Behind the Mission

Born in Kerala and trained as a radiologist, Dr. Shamsheer began his career at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi before launching LLH Hospital in 2007. Today, he heads a regional healthcare empire with over 16 hospitals, 24 medical centres, and a growing presence across the Gulf and India under Burjeel Holdings.

Dr. Shamsheer’s philanthropy has touched countless lives. From offering free heart surgeries and conducting health camps for workers to providing free breast cancer screenings and launching disaster relief initiatives, his humanitarian record spans the UAE, Africa, and South Asia.

The healthcare entrepreneur’s message is clear and heartfelt: “There should be no walls of religion, caste, or nationality in humanitarian service. Suffering is not just of the sufferer, it is of all of us.”