Emirati philanthropist who founded RAK medical city passes away

Philanthropist Mohammed Ibrahim Obaidullah, father of Abdulaziz, Abdullah, Hassan, Hamad, Salem, Saud and Mayed Obaidullah, has passed away.A major philanthropist, the deceased built what can be described as a medical city in Ras Al Khaimah, which nowadays serves as a major centre for treating patients.

The healthcare projects constructed by the deceased in the emirate include a general hospital and a specialty hospital for geriatrics and elderly care, the first of its kind in the region.

Mohammed Obaidullah, an Emirati veteran and a leading figure, was a man of unmistakable humanitarian initiatives.

His rich history of charitable work spanned more than half a century, cementing his position among the pioneers of humanitarian work in the country and the region.

The deceased chose medical services for his charitable work to bring about a remarkable quantum leap in Ras Al Khaimah based on a personal conviction that health comes first and is most deserving of support and charitable work. His generous contributions, however, were not limited to public health, but extended to assisting the poor and needy and building mosques in several areas.

Obaidullah’s obsession with treating financially disadvantaged patients was behind his charity projects in the healthcare sector, while preserving people’s health and enhancing their safety was his primary goal.

A board member, co-founder and secretary of Beit Al Khair Society, the deceased received several prestigious awards in the country in appreciation of his projects.

Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital in Al Nakheel area of Ras Al Khaimah is the philanthropist’s largest project in the charitable sector.

The hospital, built in 1997 in memory of his late father, bore his father’s name and incorporated some of the most advanced medical and engineering standards at the time.

Those concerned with Ras Al Khaimah’s medical scene will recognise the significant impact of Mohammed Obaidullah's project to establish a new kidney dialysis unit inside Ibrahim Bin Hamad Obaidullah Hospital.

The project helps alleviate the suffering of kidney patients in Ras Al Khaimah and the neighbouring emirates.

A former member of the UAE development council in the 1960s and 1970s, which included an elite group of Emiratis, Obaidullah once said, “Since the beginning of my work in the business and investment sector in my early youth, I used to allocate a portion of my profits and resources to charitable causes, both secretly and publicly.”

He later contributed to sending a number of Emirati students to study at universities in a number of developed countries out of his belief in the role of education and knowledge in building the nation and contributing to its development and progress.