UAE | General
Doctor finds place in Dubai's history
Dr Neumann, 38, said it took him one visit to Dubai as a tourist in August 2001 to decide that he wanted to settle down here for the rest of his life.
- By Alia Al Theeb, Deputy UAE Editor
- Published: 00:00 May 22, 2010
- Image Credit: HADRIAN HERNANDEZ/Gulf News
- Dr Gunter Neumann, an orthodontist and owner of Tower Clinic, speaks to Gulf News at its branch in Dubai Healthcare City.
Dubai: How does it feel when your hard work is recognised and documented in one of the most historic books of this age, written by one of the most popular leaders?
Even as an example, the mention of Dr Gunter A. Neumann, a German orthodontist, in the book My Vision..Challenges in the Race for Excellence written by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is an achievement in itself.
Dr Neumann, 38, said it took him one visit to Dubai as a tourist in August 2001 to decide that he wanted to settle down here for the rest of his life.
Dr Neumann chose Dubai to build his dental career from scratch. Today he is the owner of Tower Clinic, which has four branches in Dubai and one branch in Abu Dhabi.
Ample stories
Shaikh Mohammad in his book, which was published in 2006, said [about Dr Neumann] "..Many people visited Dubai, came back and settled down. Thousands, and each of them has his own story.
"One of them is a German dentist who studied at Harvard and lectured at Berlin University. He then came to Dubai as a tourist and liked the life here. So he came back and settled down here.
"When did he come here as a tourist? In August! Imagine! In August and what did he leave behind? Germany and Berlin University..."
So how did Shaikh Mohammad actually research information about Dr Neumann?
"Coincidence! After my one week visit to Dubai in 2001, I came back and decided to open a dentistry clinic.
"At that time, 10 years ago, Emirates Towers was the highest building and there were few tenants including myself.
"The office of Shaikh Mohammad was there and one day by coincidence I met with him briefly in the elevator and told him my story..." Dr Neumann told Gulf News.
At that time, he did not imagine that his story would be used as an example, out of the thousands of stories of expatriates living here.
"I only came to know that I was mentioned in the book after a long time of it being published... when one of my local friends brought it and translated it to me," he said.
Treasured
Although he speaks little Arabic, Dr Neumann has kept a copy of the book at his office.
"I believe one day I will be able to speak and read Arabic, because I took some courses in Arabic, so I have kept this [book] for then. I have many copies of it, one at my parent's home in Germany, one at my home here and one at my office.
"It is a privilege [to be mentioned in the book]. It has given me strength and encouragement to carry on with my goal," he said.
Dr Neumann said his younger brother also got motivated by his success and came to Dubai to work.
He is an owner of a media company at Dubai Media City.
The policy of open doors and open minds in various establishments in Dubai, made it easy for Dr Neumann to start his own clinic.
During his one week visit as a tourist, he started visiting various medical and health authorities to explore the potential of opening his private clinic.
"Whichever department I went to, I was welcomed and encouraged.
"At a young age, it is very easy to get discouraged, but I never had that feeling here," Dr Neumann said.
He said the UAE government's support to foreign investment, providing opportunities and the welcoming atmosphere, all contributed in helping him set up a successful career here.
"I have travelled a lot, such as to France, Japan, China, but what I found here was different.
Open door policy
"One day, just walk to any government department and say you are a foreigner and need advice. You will find open doors and open minds to help you," he said.
Dr Neumann said what also distinguishes Dubai is the diverse choices of things that one can do on any given day.
"If you want to try something new, you will find it just 10 minutes drive away.
"When I first started working as a dentist, I also took courses in flying planes and getting a licence for it.
"I was able to combine my working hours with something I wanted to do. Abroad, one has to take time off from work to learn to fly planes," he said.
Currently, he spends his free time exercising in the morning to take part in the New York Marathon, which he does annually, in addition to learning Japanese.
Welcoming nature
"People make the place. It is the welcoming nature of the people here that makes me feel Dubai is my home.
"I have never considered going back to my home country [to settle down there] or in any other country after this place," he said.
Dr Neumann said he was ‘hurt' when foreign media published negative articles about Dubai and the UAE in light of the global downturn. "The more successful you are, the more people become envious of you. They pick small defects and exaggerate them.
"I believe people in Dubai are happy. Many people like to complain naturally, but we need to look at different things when evaluating something, and not just one aspect," he said.
Dr Gunter A. Neumann graduated as a dentist in Germany when he was only 24, which made him one of the youngest dentists in his country.
He then started studying orthodontics for three years at Harvard University in Boston. During that period, he was also able to get his PhD in the field at the age of 28. He never took time off his studies during weekends and was always part of a programme or seminar to learn more, as demonstrated by an impressive CV.
He went back to Harvard University in 2005 and studied business management.
Dr Neumann has always been fascinated by the techniques of dentistry. He loved to visit the dentist with his father and observe what the dentist did.
Do you know of similar stories? What made you choose to stay in the UAE? What have you left behind for it?
Journey: From Germany to UAE
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