Dubai's healthcare community mourns former Indian expat doctor from Kerala who helped deliver 3,000 babies

Dubai: Dubai's healthcare community is mourning the loss of Dr Mary John, the veteran gynaecologist from Kerala, India, credited with helping deliver nearly 3,000 babies during a career that spanned almost three decades in the emirate.

Dr John, fondly known as "Girly" to friends and family, passed away in Springfield, Illinois, in the US on August 21, 2026, according to her family. She was 81.

Tributes have poured in from doctors, hospital chiefs and former patients who remember her not just as a pioneering obstetrician but as a mentor, a friend and, to many, a second mother.

A career of firsts

Dr John joined Dubai Hospital in 1987 and moved to Latifa Hospital (the then Al Wasl Hospital) in 1992, where she went on to head the gynaecology department from 1996 to 2006. She later took charge of the Dubai Gynaecology and Fertility Centre (DGFC) in 2013, a post she held until her retirement in 2016 after 29 years of service.

Under her leadership, the DGFC, which pioneered infertility treatment in the emirate, helped deliver close to 3,000 babies.

She also introduced laparoscopy and minimally invasive surgery to Dubai's obstetric practice at a time when the field was far less advanced than it is today, while helping bring subspecialties such as feto-maternal medicine, colposcopy, uro-gynaecology and gynaecological oncology into the local healthcare system.

As academic head of Dubai Medical College, she trained generations of doctors who later went on to lead departments across the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Health, a legacy colleagues say may be as significant as the babies she helped bring into the world.

At the time of her retirement, DHA thanked her for decades of dedicated service and for her constant perseverance to develop gynaecology services in line with international standards.

After retiring from Dubai, she moved to the US to be closer to her family, though colleagues say she never lost touch with Dubai or the people she trained.

Family's tribute

Born in Kerala on June 17, 1945, Dr John is survived by her sons, Ashish and Anish, their wives, Teena and Kiran, and four grandchildren, Ashwin, Simran, Yohan and Inara. She was known as Amma to most members in her family and Ammi to her grandchildren.

The family said she served the community of New York also as an esteemed OBGYN, a role that allowed her to touch many lives in both countries.

The family has described her as a woman whose warmth extended well beyond her clinic walls, with kindness and compassion as the values she lived by and passed on to everyone she met.

In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a fundraiser in her memory, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.

"Like a mother to us"

Dr Muna Tahlak, now Chief Medical Officer at Dubai Health and Vice Provost for Clinical Affairs at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), was among Dr John's earliest protégées.

"She had a very special place in my heart," Dr Tahlak told Gulf News.

"She used to tell me that if she had a daughter, she would be my age since she only had two sons. She was very proud of me and was one of the reasons I reached where I am today. As a young doctor, patient care was all that mattered to me, but she mentored me into administrative roles and guided me; I became her successor because of her."

Dr Tahlak said that even after Dr John left Dubai, she would call every Eid to pass on her greetings and ask after the department's progress. "She mentored many of us through her care, kindness and vision. She was like a mother to us, always calm and understanding."

Family friend

For Dr Mohammed Salim Al Olama, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), the connection to Dr John was more personal rather than professional. She helped deliver four of his children.

"She was one of those very special doctors you don't often find: compassionate, warm and so approachable that you felt she was a friend rather than just your doctor. She became our family friend,” Dr Al Olama said.

Pillar of Latifa

Dr Faiza Badawi Mahgoub, who worked at Latifa Hospital until 2024 and now practises at Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital, remembered Dr John as one of the pillars of Latifa Hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology department and a leader in medical education, having served as head of the obstetric division at Dubai Medical College.

"I had the privilege of working under her and with her as a colleague in many roles since 1989. Her passion was patient care, and she spent hours in the clinic looking after her patients. She was dedicated, hardworking, honest and humble,” Dr Mahgoub said.

She added that Dr John believed strongly in teamwork and had laid the groundwork for training generations of young doctors, while remaining closely involved in each patient's care and available to the hospital day and night.

"She was one of the leaders in preparing guidelines, clinical governance and hospital recognition. She is a great loss to the many doctors in the field who learned from her. May God rest her soul in peace."

Decades of friendship

Dr Shabana Muzaffar, a gynaecologist at Chughtai Clinic in Dubai Healthcare City, first met Dr John in 1991 while working with her at Latifa Hospital, and the two stayed close long after Dr John's retirement, including during the years Dr John spent in Chicago.

"She was my mentor, a very, very nice person. She was even a good friend of my mother's.  My family and I would meet her when she was in Dubai, and we met a couple of times in the US as well. We celebrated occasions together,” Dr Muzaffar said.

Dr Muzaffar recalled that Dr John would call her every year on her birthday, sometimes as early as 6am, including a phone call this past April in which she sang her a birthday song. The two last spoke around Dr John’s birthday in June, and last met in person around two years ago while Dr Muzaffar was living in New York.

Dr Anu C Mathews, who was an OBG resident between 1996 and 2000 at Latifa Hospital, recalled that Dr John dedicated her life to her profession and lived it to the fullest.

“She was a polite, warm and an endearing human. Working under her guidance sharpened my skills, and empathy became a part of my medical career,” she added.

Dubai church mourns

Dubai Mar Thoma Parish also announced the death of its former member, saying: “We extend our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. Let us pray that God grants them heavenly peace and comfort during this time of grief.”

Her funeral service will be held on September 6 at Mar Thoma Church, Springfield, the parish added.