Sharjah: Dr V.S. Viswanathan, founder of Venniyil Medical Centre in Sharjah, died on Saturday in his home state of Kerala, India, after battling brain cancer, the Indian People’s Forum Sharjah (IPF Sharjah) told Gulf News.
He was 72. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
According to IPF Sharjah, Dr Viswanathan passed away at VSM Hospital in Thattarambalam, Mavelikara. The hospital, also known as Venniyil Dr Sukumara Pillai Memorial Hospital, was established by Dr Viswanathan in 1992 in memory of his father, Dr Sukumara Pillai.
Dr Viswanathan was an active philanthropist working for the benefit of the underprivileged in the UAE and India.
Ganeshan Aramanganam, president of IPF Sharjah, said: “Dr Viswanathan was a very good man. He was a strong supporter of IPF and served the community in the UAE and India.”
According to the online UAE Malyali Directory, run by Excellence Publishing, Dr Viswanathan graduated from Trivandrum Medical College in 1970 with an MBBS degree. He had been practising medicine for more than four decades, launching his career in a private hospital in Mavelikara. He then had a short stint in the Kerala Health Service, followed by three years of duty in Iran with the Iranian health ministry.
To realise his dream of building a memorial hospital in the name of his father, Dr Viswanathan moved to Sharjah in 1978 to raise funds for the construction of the hospital. The same year, he established the Venniyil Medical Centre in Sharjah. A nursing school — the VSM Nursing School in Mavelikara — is another institution set up by Dr Viswanathan.
He had also served as the president and patron of multiple organisations in the UAE and India meeting the social, medical and educational needs of the underprivileged.
Dr Viswanathan was married to Santhakumari, who is a partner of VSM Hospital, and leaves behind two children. His son Dr Prashanth Venniyil is a dermatologist and an active partner of VSM Hospital. His daughter Prameela Rajeesh holds an MBA in hospital administration and lives in the US with her husband, who is a pulmonologist.
