Mulk Health Care rises to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis call

 By K.R. Nayar

Dr. Shafi Ul Mulk, President of Mulk Health Care, has on numerous occasions lifted people from distress. During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic he provided ventilators and oxygen concentrators for the needy in India as part of Mulk Health Care’s CSR initiatives. When Kerala was devastated by floods in 2018, this co-owner of Kerala Kings cricket team that lifted the first T10 League title had rushed basic amenities to the needy in the flood-affected state. 

Dr. Shafi Ul Mulk, President of Mulk Health Care and the co-owner of the Kerala Kings cricket team that became the first champions of the T10 League in 2017, has never hesitated in stepping forward to back people in distress. When floods created havoc in Kerala, he stepped forward to hurry basic amenities to this state. Now when India has been severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, he did the same not only for Kerala but to different parts of India by supplying ventilators and oxygen concentrators.

Dr. Shafi does it all as part of the hugely popular Mulk Health Care’s CSR objective. Consistent acts of charity, especially during crises, have been an essential part Mulk Health Care’s CSR.

Speaking to krbuzz.blogspot.com, Dr. Shafi remarked: “What we give may seem like a drop in the ocean to us. But remember, it may be those very little drops that make a major difference in a needy person’s life.”

Dr. Shafi is a sportsman to the core. As a badminton player, he has played in India’s national tournaments and was Andhra Pradesh’s junior and senior champion. He has also played a role in the promotion of badminton in the UAE. “In the last two years, the impacts of a virus that refuses to go away has gripped the globe. Nowhere are the disastrous effects of this invisible enemy felt more than in India. When news channels and websites all over were sending out cries of help to the outside world, we decided to step to the fore to meet the need of the hour,” added Dr. Shafi.

Mulk Health Care made sure to stock up and quickly distribute oxygen concentrators to India for hospitals as well as home use. “Our experiences of working during natural calamities, like the 2018 flood crisis in Kerala, have taught us many things. The Mulk group immediately contributed to the Chief Minister’s relief fund and rushed amenities to the state. It taught us that help should be rendered on time to save lives.

During this pandemic, co-operation between the Indian government and various Indian organisations has helped in reducing delays in sending out the ventilators and oxygen concentrators,” said Dr. Shafi. When Kerala Kings won the first edition of the T10 tournament in 2017, Dr. Shafi had gone to Kerala and presented the trophy to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Dr Shafi Ul Mulk presents the T10 Trophy won by Kerala Kings to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan  

"We have been working constantly with several state and central government bodies in India to source and supply ventilators and oxygen concentrators as well as other medical products to combat the rising virus tides. In less than a week we were able to meet our commitment and deliver 1000 units to India,” Dr. Shafi added.

"Another 200 Mulkhealthcare branded “oxy live” units have reached Dubai with the objective of door-to-door delivery in India and for UAE residents who have families in India and its neighboring countries. We have been fortunate to be able to team with NGOs and CSR wings of some major private organizations who have helped us to expedite our goals even though the demands have been overwhelming,” he noted.

Mulk Health Care is fully equipped to support and complement the efforts of the medical personnel in India. “Through our telemedicine web portal, Mulk e-health, which is the only DHA approved stand-alone Telehealth global portal, we have managed through Indian IT partners to connect patients with more than 1000 consulting Indian physicians in India. This has proved to be a big boon during the current circumstances of restricted movement and social distancing,” added Dr Shafi, who is a scion of a royal family whose legacy dates back to the Nawab of Kurnool in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Dr Shafi Ul Mulk with Kerala Kings and England captain Eoin Morgan

Until the limitations enforced by the pandemic, Nawab Charity, a Mulk family-funded charity, operated charity clinics in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, with a footfall of nearly 500 patients every day. “If you truly want to help someone, help him in a way that he can become independent enough to help himself, and live a life of dignity and self-respect,” believes Dr. Shafi. As part of his personal charity initiatives, he organises mass marriages for a minimum of 100 couples every year in India, provides scholarship grants to needy students, including professional-level education in Industrial and Mechanical engineering. He is also involved in supporting charitable institutes that provided technical and vocational training designed to systematically educate and prepare students for the job market.

Additionally, Dr. Shafi has also reached out to rural areas raising awareness and campaigning for the empowerment of rural girls by engaging them in competitive sports activities and preparing them for district and state-level competitions. Sports credits thus earned have helped them secure admissions in colleges as well. He is also actively involved in providing mentor support and funding of Muslim minorities in India for education in nursing and technical fields. In the UAE, he regularly supplies free meals and basic amenities on a weekly basis to workers housed in labour camps in the country.