Dr. Zulekha Daud

The now 82-year-old Zulekha Daud, born into the family of a construction worker, studied medicine and moved to the UAE in 1964. She became the first female Indian doctor to practice in the UAE. Mama Zulekha, as she is affectionately known after having delivered over 10,000 babies over the last 56 years, is the chairperson of the Zulekha Healthcare Group whose portfolio includes two multidisciplinary hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah, three medical centres in the UAE, three pharmacies and a hospital in her hometown of Nagpur in India. The group’s medical facilities in the UAE treat over 550,000 people annually, positioning it among the largest private healthcare providers in the country, earning Daud a UAE gold card permanent residency visa.