PV Sami award for NRI billionaire BR Shetty

NMC Group Founder Dr. B. R. Shetty

UAE-based NRI billionaire BR Shetty who is the Founder cum Joint Non-Executive Chairman of Abu Dhabi-based NMC Group has been chosen for this year's PV Sami memorial industrial and socio-cultural award. BR Shetty, Chairman of UAE Exchange, recently hogged the limelight when he expressed his interest to produce Rs 1000 crore Mahabharata starring actor Mohanlal. Noted ad film maker Sreekumar S Menon will be directing the magnum opus project penned by veteran Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair.

Apart from founding NMC Healthcare in 1975, Dr B R Shetty also owns and operates businesses in multiple sectors including UAE Exchange and Travelex in financial services, Neopharma in pharmaceutical manufacturing, Royal Catering in food service and a number of schools in the education sector. Dr B R Shetty also owns hospitals in Egypt, India and Nepal. 

In India, NMC healthcare foray started with the acquisition of SUT Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, followed by the Beemapally Hospital, Leela Ravi Hospital and CMC Hospital, all in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the Shree Narayana Hospital in Raipur, Chhattisgarh and the Grande Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal. The India operations have a current capacity of over 1,000 beds and in the next phase of expansion are looking to add capacity to existing hospitals and also acquire new hospitals.

Announcing the award, P V Sami Memorial Trust Trustee P V Gangadharan said an expert panel headed by Janata Dal (United) State President M P Veerendra Kumar, MP selected Dr Shetty for the award considering his contribution to industrial sector and charitable initiatives. 

Union Minister of State for Ayush Shripad Yasso Naik would present the award at P V Sami commemoration here on September 1.