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She is all of 81 years of age. Barring those strands of gray hair tucked in a bun, her agility and spirit mar the eight decades of life she has celebrated.
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But a chat with Dr. Zulekha Daud, founder and chairperson of Zulekha Healthcare Group, including Zulekha Hospital UAE; Alexis Multispeciality Hospital, India and Zulekha Colleges, India, and you know those grays did not crop up from the oblivion. Instead they sit as a crown of splendour, celebrating a life led in tireless service to the community.
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Dr. Zulekha aka ‘Mama Zulekha’ – a moniker the veteran has rightfully earned during the five decades of her stellar medical career in the UAE – is a household name today. There is no one in the country who does not recognise her. And when we meet her for a chit-chat we know why she is loved and much respected.
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With all her humility intact, Dr. Zulekha greets us in the lobby of her multi-specialty Zulekha Hospital in Sharjah. She makes a light conversation with the staff before leading the way to her cabin. Despite a bandaged leg, she maintains a swift pace as she takes us into her room. She brushes away any question about her leg from the staff, as she has seen more and enough to not fuss over it.
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Blast from the past
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As we settle in her cabin, the conversation begins with how it all started for this renowned doctor who has helped revolutionise the healthcare system in the UAE.
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No sooner we realise Dr. Zulekha’s childhood was a blessed one. If it was not for her parents who encouraged her to study medicine, the UAE would not have witnessed a pioneer doctor who set foot in this country 55 years ago, working tirelessly to revolutionise its health-care system.
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“I belong to a conservative Muslim family from Nagpur, Maharashtra. My parents, however, were liberal in their thoughts and never discriminated against me because I was a girl. In fact, my father, a construction worker, had a dream to see me and my siblings educated,” recalled Dr. Zulekha.
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“My maternal uncle was a doctor and my parents wanted me to study medicine. My mother was also impressed with our neighbour, a Christian family, where the lady of the house was a nurse. She (my mother) was taken up as to how the lady spent her life saving lives. She had a dream to see me become a doctor. There was little money in the house, but education was key, a means to livelihood, Dr. Zulekha said.
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Proud parents
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She recalled how proud her father was when she began her studies in medicine. “One time there was a ceremony in the city felicitating a minister. My father took me to the event and handed a garland in hand. He asked me to garland the minister and in that time he proudly introduced me to the politician. My father told him I was a doctor in the making. Till today I cannot forget the pride in his eyes.”
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Dr. Zulekha graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the Government Medical College in Nagpur, India, specialising in gynecology. Prior to coming to work in Sharjah, Dr. Zulekha worked at the American Mission Hospital in Kuwait. Her husband, Dr Adil Daud had found a job as an ophthalmologist in Ras Al Khaimah. .
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Starting a new life
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In 1964, when her husband moved to Ras Al Khaimah, she took up a job as a doctor in Sharjah. “Nobody wanted to work here. There were no proper roads. We travelled on sand. It used to take us four hours to travel between Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah,” she explained.”
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It was an era when there was scarce electricity. Neeless to say there were no X-Ray machines, laboratories, or ultra-sounds to diagnose an illness in those days. It was the skill and experience of the doctor that mattered for accurate diagnosis and treatment. And as the first lady doctor to arrive in Sharjah, Dr. Zulekha would soon realise there would be a lot on her platter. No sooner she arrived in town, she was inundated with patients who all wanted a piece of her as they felt a connection with her – especially because she was a woman. Now you know why she is called Mama Zulekha.
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Gynaecologist and more
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“I was a gynecologist 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 too those days and they had to be treated immediately. Added to this, there were only few doctors in the city as there were more mid-wives and nurses,” she recalled.
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People came from as far as Muscat to consult with her – mostly women – who had heard about her immense capabilities as a doctor. “Women, heavily pregnant would land in my door step. It was also a time where there were no telephone. We had to make trunk calls to reach someone wirelessly. Telephones were introduced only in 1971.
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Doubling up as a vet
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Dr. Zulekha recalled a rather quirky incident where she had to double up as a veterinarian. “A Bedouin patient of mine requested urgent help to deliver a baby goat. It was 1966. When I told him I was not a vet, he turned back and asked me if I had a heart. He said see the pain of this mother, can you not do something.”
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And so I decided to do what needed to be done at that time. “There were two legs sticking out. I took a gunny bag and delivered the baby goat. After the successful delivery, the Bedouin had a smile on his face and told me – I told you, you can do it,” recalled Dr. Zulekha with a vivid smile on her face.
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When babies were delivered in homes
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Deliveries mostly happened in the patients’ house. Consultations and minor treatments took place in the small clinics running in the city. Dr. Zulekha recalled an incident when a woman in her final term of pregnancy, developed labour pains in middle of the night. It was the time when electricity was scarce. Holding a lantern in one hand, a basic medical kit in the other hand, Dr. Zulekha went to the lady’s house to help deliver her baby. “There was a nurse by my side and together we helped bring her child into the world.”
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Her deliveries and treatments became renowned and news of her adept skills as a doctor reached as far as GCC. “I had learnt Arabic while working in Kuwait. This helped me to connect with the local people here as well. It helped me break barriers with the local population,” said the veteran.
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When I first arrived in Sharjah, there was no Municipality, no police doctor and no hospital. The facilities were very basic. One day I remember a police official came to the clinic with a mound of marijuana and placed it on my desk. A visitor to the emirate was caught smuggling marijuana and local authorities wanted a confirmation of the product. There were no laboratories to test this and as a doctor I had to find a way to do it. What I am trying to say here is that decision making was critical those days. Whether it was diagnosis, treatment, we had to be in the moment and take those calls. There were external factors to rely on, it was all to do with our experience.”
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Dr. Zulekha felt a strong need for a hospital to be set up. “In the 80s I set up my own clinic. I ordered the first ultra-sound from the USA. I was seeing 50-60 patients a day. My clinic only had three table and it was impossible to see all them in such a tiny place.”
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First private hospital in Sharjah
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In 1992 she set up the first private hospital in Sharjah – the Zulekha Hospital. But just a few days after the inauguration of her hospital, Dr. Zulekha met with a major road accident. “The only saving grace in that accident was that my organs were intact. My ribs and bones were broken and it took me months to recover. It was a phase in my life where my mental strength was put to test. But I fought and fought hard,” she said.
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Six months later after some intensive physiotherapy, she was back on her feet. She said there has been no turning back since. “Physically, my injuries have not recovered 100 per cent, but mentally I was ready to be back in the game after my treatment. After all, lives have to be saved and I had no choice but spring back to action,” said Dr. Zulekha.
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Her mental strength has for sure rewarded her in more ways than one. Zulekha Hospital which was initially set up as a 30-bed facility, today boasts of 185 beds in a sprawling 290,000 square feet unit. Zulekha Hospital Dubai is a 179 bed hospital and was established in 2004. The Zulekha Group has further expanded to include three medical centers and a chain of pharmacies. The Group is one of the largest private healthcare networks in the country. Between the two hospitals and three medical centers, a staggering 550,000 people are treated annually. And all this has been thanks to the grit and determination of this one woman who stood tall in times of crisis and withstood all storms. Today, Dr. Zulekha has attended more than 10,000 deliveries across the span of her five decades of career.
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Awards and recognitions
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On January 23 2019, Dr. Zulekha was awarded India’s top most honors for overseas Indians – the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award. The award is conferred on individuals who have made significant contributions to philanthropic and charitable work and for prominence in their field which has enhanced India’s prestige in the country of residence. The veteran was presented the award by the Hon’ble President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony held in Varanasi, India.
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Another special moment in Dr. Zulekha’s life was when His Highness Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation honoured Dr. Zulekha in New Delhi and presented her with a letter of thanks and appreciation of her five decades of valuable contributions to the healthcare sector in the UAE.
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Forbes Middle East also recognised her contributions to the field of healthcare by including her in the list of 100 Indian Leaders in the UAE. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai also awarded her with the Dubai Quality Award.
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“The UAE is my home. It has given me everything. I have loved serving the community. It has been my pleasure,” said Dr. Zulekha.