Media Release
Ajman, Nov 7: Gulf Medical University (GMU), Ajman, the leading private medical university in the UAE owned and operated by Thumbay Group celebrated the completion of its 17th glorious year of service, on Thursday, November 5.
A cake-cutting ceremony was conducted at the university campus to mark the occasion and was attended by B Ramanath Rai, the Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology of the state of Karnataka, India, A B Ibrahim, deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada District, India, Thumbay Moideen - founder president of the board of governors of GMU, prof Gita Ashok Raj - Provost of GMU, Akbar Moideen Thumbay – vice president of the healthcare division of Thumbay Group, the deans and faculty members of the colleges under GMU, the members of the administrative team of Thumbay Group and a large number of students.
Addressing the gathering, Thumbay Moideen commended the efforts of GMU’s academic leadership led by prof Gita Ashok Raj, in making GMU a centre of excellence and the most sought-after private medical university in the region. “The completion of seventeen years has provided a useful perspective to look back over the efforts undertaken so far to provide quality medical education to the aspiring students and the results achieved till date. We have new responsibilities to shoulder and new opportunities to explore, as we step into the 18th year. Together let us take GMU to greater heights,” he said.
Prof Gita Ashok Raj recalled the journey of 17 years from a medical college to a medical university and expressed confidence in GMU emerging as a full-fledged research-based university in the next five years. She added that with all the required ingredients in place, GMU was on track to emerge as one of the best research and innovation based medical universities in the region.
Thumbay Moideen, founder presdient of Thumbay Group had established the Gulf Medical College (GMC) in 1998, as an institution offering undergraduate programs in medicine, physiotherapy, dentistry and pharmacy. The institution became a full-fledged medical university - the Gulf Medical University in 2008 following a decree by HE Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the minister of higher education and scientific research, UAE. Every academic year, GMU’s admissions department receives close to 5000 applications against just around 300 seats. The ministry of higher education and scientific research has recognized GMU as a center of excellence and has permitted the university to offer a range of courses including MBBS, BPT, DMD, PharmD and Masters Programs in clinical pathology, public health, and toxicology. Apart from being the first medical institution in the region which offers admissions to both boys and girls of all nationalities, the Gulf Medical University has also earned the reputation of providing programs that had been introduced in the region for the first time. GMU is first in the region to launch unique programs like masters in human reproductive biology, Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences and masters in physical therapy.
GMU has the unique advantage of being associated with the leading chain of healthcare providers in the country, the Thumbay/GMC network of ultra-modern teaching hospitals and clinics, treating patients from around 175 nationalities, daily. Thumbay Group’s four multispecialty Thumbay Hospitals in Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah, a 25-chair dental hospital in Dubai which is the first private dental hospital in the country, five state-of-the-art Thumbay Clinics and Thumbay Labs in Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain in addition to outlets of Thumbay Pharmacy across the UAE provide research and clinical training avenues for GMU students. Other prominent affiliated hospitals include Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in Ajman. A 300 bed ultra-modern teaching hospital, a 50-chair dental hospital and an advanced rehabilitation center under Thumbay Group, within the GMU campus in Ajman, are upcoming projects expected to be completed in 2016/2017.
GMU also houses the Centre for Advanced Biomedical Research and Innovation (CABRI), the biggest laboratory chain in UAE with four full-fledged laboratories and sample collection centers across the various Emirates and Center for Advanced Simulation in Healthcare (CASH), a multidisciplinary educational facility integrating simulation as an educational tool for providing a state-of-the-art, safe learning environment that promotes professional development. CABRI carries out world-class research in the field of medicine using state of the art medical diagnostics. It provides tertiary, high complexity, referral testing services to hospitals of the Thumbay group as well as contracted hospitals. It has the distinction of being the first College of American Pathologists (CAP) accredited lab in the Northern Emirates of the UAE. CASH is a multidisciplinary educational facility integrating simulation as an educational tool for providing a state-of-the-art, safe learning environment that promotes professional development.
GMU incorporates the most advanced research-oriented curriculum, which, coupled with its outstanding research infrastructure and facilities, give its students the competitive advantage. Every year during the summer vacation in August, GMU students participate in clinical training in leading universities and hospitals in several countries including USA, UK, Germany, Hungary, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, which is a unique feature of the academic program at the university. GMU has also been organizing continuing medical education and continuing professional development programs in addition to several international and regional conferences and symposia, on a regular basis. GMU’s bimonthly publication, the bilingual ‘Health’ magazine, apart from promoting health and wellness, also serves the purpose of publicizing GMU’s research and innovation activities and breakthrough accomplishments.
Presently, GMU has a student cohort of over 73 nationalities and faculty and staff from over 22 countries. It also has a well-organized alumni network of highly placed healthcare professionals throughout the world. An emphasis on research and innovation is what differentiates GMU from the others. The coming years will see the university’s infrastructure and human resources expand manifold, in terms of quantity as well as quality. With Thumbay Group’s iconic brand status to back it up, together with its diverse pool of human talent and the excellent facilities and goodwill, GMU is well on course in its march to emerge as the number one research-based medical university in the region.