Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil Conferred with GPF Global Humanitarian Award at the United Nations

MANHATTAN, N.Y. - May 18, 2015 - PRLog -- Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Managing Director of VPS Healthcare, received the Global Humanitarian Award at a special reception held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on May 5^th, 2015. Dr. Shamsheer was recognized for his lifelong philanthropic efforts and commitment to serving the less fortunate across the developing world. At the reception, Dr. Shamsheer donated 100 Free Heart Surgeries to the United Nations for the underprivileged across the globe.

The award was conferred by H.E. José Manuel Ramos-Horta, Former President, Timor-Leste and Special Representative and Head, United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau; and H.E. Mrs. Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN in the presence of many senior UN officials, members of the diplomatic community and leaders from civil society including the likes of H.E. Mr. Jean-Francis Régis Zinsou, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Benin; H.E. Mr. Téte Antonio, Ambassador, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the UN; Mr. Amir Dossal, Chairman, Global Partnerships Forum; Ms. Lucie Brigham, Chief of Office, United Nations Office for Partnerships; Ms. Kelly Abramson, Director, Penn Global Medicine; Dr. Prakash Masand, Chairman and CEO, Global Medical Education; and Dr. Aziza Shad, Director, Pediatric Hematology Oncology and BMT, Georgetown University Hospital.

Commenting on this honourable occasion, Dr. Shamsheer said: “It’s with deep gratitude that I accept this honour on behalf of the VPS Healthcare family. I feel extremely humbled to receive such a recognition on a platform so honourable, amongst such respectable peers.”

“It is the need of the hour for private organizations to come together and support the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, which are to be adopted later this year. As our commitment to support the noble cause of the UN, I pledge to donate 100 Free Heart Surgeries to the United Nations for the less privileged across the world,” Dr. Shamsheer added.

Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Mrs. Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador & Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN said, “The power of the private sector is still a force that needs to be harnessed by multilateral organizations and the public sector alike – and we need to look no farther than Dr. Shamsheer and VPS Healthcare for an example. Given the potential for opportunity for a company as diverse as VPS Healthcare in the African market, such a philanthropic effort will not only allow VPS Healthcare o get a better sense of future customers but also uncover ways to align their efforts to support the SDGs.”

“As Permanent Representative of the UAE, I am proud to be here today as we honor this Abu Dhabi-based company, and as a global citizen, I am grateful for your contribution, Dr. Shamsheer, to the well-being of the under privileged in society,” H.E. Ambassador Mrs. Lana Nusseibeh.

Dr. Shamsheer’s philanthropic initiatives have made reckonable contributions in helping communities and individuals all across the world rebuild, and have access to healthcare that in turn improves the overall quality of their lives. Some of his recent initiatives are: Donations of medicines worth AED 1.5 Million to the Syrian Refugees through the UAE Red Crescent. This followed the cash donation of AED 200,000 made last year. Other noteworthy contributions are donations worth INR 2.5 Million to the Indian Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the Jammu & Kashmir flood victims; the 1000 Free Heart Surgeries Initiative, which was launched as a tribute to the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

“This is just a beginning to what we want to achieve in terms of helping people in need. Our contributions don’t stop here, we have a long and endless path to look for ways that help poverty, rebuild communities post war or natural disasters; our aim is for people in need to attain a better life for themselves and their families. This award reinforces our intrinsic need to continue to strive and help the underprivileged regardless of geographic boundaries,” added Dr. Shamsheer.

In addition to his philanthropic initiatives, Dr. Shamsheer has made the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) an inherent part of VPS Healthcare's business model. It is due to his vision and efforts that VPS Healthcare became the first private healthcare organisation in the UAE to acquire a mobile mammography unit in 2008.  So far, VPS has screened more than 5,000 women across the UAE. In October, 2014, they took the awareness to a whole new level by setting the Guinness World Record for the 'Largest Simultaneous Self-Breast Examination'.

The event also highlighted the role of private sector and civil society in advancing the UN’s goals and objectives, particularly in addressing the healthcare gaps in developing countries.