Dear Bill:

My wife, Shabeena, and I are honored to join the Giving Pledge campaign that you, Melinda and Warren initiated with a goal of creating a meaningful and viable impact in communities around the world. We have always believed that doing good is good business too. In a small way, this is our way of giving thanks for the opportunities and successes we have found throughout our lives.

Our families have played a big role in instilling a sense of belonging for – and about – community and to help wherever and however we can for those who need it the most. Over the years, our philanthropic efforts have been both large and small, from free heart surgeries dedicated to the memory of the late H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, to providing humanitarian aid to those affected by crises around the world.

All of us have unlimited potential and desire to succeed. For us, success means having created something that can make a positive and sustainable difference in the lives of people. When I started VPS Healthcare little over 10 years ago, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life for the greater good. You have to listen to your heart and have the willingness to learn. At the time, I was 30 and had just left my job as a Radiologist. I didn’t have any formal training in business and certainly did not know how to run a hospital, but I had the passion and desire to build a world-class health care system that could bring a positive change for patients.

It has been an amazing journey. We have gone from a single hospital in 2007 to an end-to-end health care enterprise spanning four countries, 22 operational hospitals, over 125 medical centers, retail pharmacies, a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, medical support services with a combined workforce of 13,000 employees spread across the GCC, Europe and India.

We are humbled to be a part of this campaign and look forward to working with – and learning from – the incredible group that has decided to dedicate their time and resources to help make the world an even better place for future generations.

Sincerely

Shabeena and Shamsheer Vayalil