Thumbay Group plans major projects in coastal Karnataka: Dr Thumbay Moideen

Thumbay Group plans major projects in coastal Karnataka: Dr Thumbay Moideen

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, August 15, 2026: UAE-based Thumbay Group is working on plans for major projects in Mangaluru and the coastal region, which are expected to take shape over the next three years, said Group Founder and President Dr Thumbay Moideen.

Speaking informally at a ‘Meet the Media’ interaction hosted at his residence, Thumbay Hills, at Thumbe on Friday, August 14, Dr Moideen said the proposed initiatives were still at the ideation stage and details would be announced once the plans take shape. “We have concrete plans for some major projects in Mangaluru and the coastal region and I expect them to become a reality in the next three years,” he said.

Dr Moideen said he had organised the interaction to reconnect with the media in his hometown and share the journey of the Group, which he founded in the UAE in 1997. “Thumbay Group was founded by a Mangalorean in the UAE. We have had a successful journey of 29 years and now entering the 30th year, but I wanted people in my hometown to know what we have achieved,” he said.

What began with the establishment of Gulf Medical College in Ajman in 1998 has since grown into an integrated academic healthcare group with interests spanning medical education, hospitals, diagnostics, pharmacies, research and allied businesses.

Today, Gulf Medical University has seven colleges, more than 50 accredited programmes and around 5,000 students from over 111 nationalities. The Group’s healthcare network has treated more than 19 million patients from 175 nationalities and recorded over 100,000 deliveries. “Healthcare and education have always been at the heart of our journey. We have tried to bring them together with research and innovation,” Dr Moideen said. 

The Group’s flagship Thumbay Medicity at Al Jurf, Ajman, spread across 25 acres, houses the 350-bed Thumbay University Hospital along with specialised dental, physical therapy and rehabilitation facilities. The Group is also developing Thumbay Medicity Dubai and has recently initiated projects in psychiatric and rehabilitation care, veterinary medicine and medical research.

With around 4,000 employees, 26 brands across 15 sectors and more than 70 international academic and research collaborations, the Group has grown considerably from its beginnings as a medical education initiative. Around AED 10 million is invested annually in research grants, while more than AED 60 million has been committed through its Care & Share scholarship programme.

“Whatever we have achieved is because of hard work, the blessings of God, the support we received from the UAE government and, above all, a dedicated team,” Dr Moideen said. He added that the Group’s ambition was to continue building a strong international presence in medical education while expanding its academic healthcare ecosystem.

Dr Moideen said that despite spending most of his professional life in the UAE, he remained closely connected to his native Thumbe and continued to feel a strong attachment to Mangaluru and the coastal region.