Meet man who quit IAS job after father’s death, built company worth crores; he is…., his business is….

It is said that tragedy impacts every person in a different way, while most crumble or move on after a dear one’s passing, others are motivated to do take matters into their own hands and do something which not only benefits them but also helps make the world a better place. One such shining example is our today’s subject of inspirational story, Dr Syed Sabahat Azim, a former IAS officer who quit his post after the tragic death of his father and built a chain of affordable hospitals which not only brought him fame and fortune, but also made inexpensive healthcare accessible to the downtrodden, especially in rural areas.

The inspiring story of Dr Syed Sabahat Azim

The story of former IAS officer Dr Syed Sabahat Azim is one of the most inspirational tales of turning the pain of your tragedy into something positive. Azim’s father died during surgery at a private hospital in Kolkata, which motivated him to quit his IAS post and start affordable hospitals to provide inexpensive healthcare to people.

The former IAS officer founded Glocal Healthcare Systems (GHS), an chain of affordable hospitals, in 2010. Asked about his reasons to quit his job as an IAS officer, Azim revealed that his father’s demise was an eye-opener, which made him realize that “If such disaster can happen to my father due to lack of medical facilities, then it can happen to any citizen of India.”

Speaking about his decision to quit and run affordable hospitals, Dr Azim said he felt restless after his father’s tragic death and wanted to do something which would satisfy his conscience,

“I did my medical degree from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), a constituent of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). Then I joined the administrative service and served in various positions, including Secretary to the Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar. But I was feeling restless to do more, something that could give me satisfaction as a human being,” Azim had told news agency IANS in an interview.

Affordable rural healthcare

Dr Azim started small by building a tiny 30-bed health center in a village, but soon expanded his venture and now his hospital chain has its footprint several districts of West Bengal such as Birbhum, Bankura, Murshidabad, Burdwan, Darjeeling, and Nadia.

“I come from Uttar Pradesh. I am a small-town person who has spent most of his time during service in rural India. I always felt the urge to make the world a better place in a sustainable way. Primarily, as human beings, we all have multiple identities, be it our nationality, religion, or as the person we are in real life. But none of them are important. I want to be known for the works I do in life. That is the only predominant factor,” he states.

Dr Azim has undoubtedly touched (and saved) many lives with his initiative of providing affordable healthcare in rural India and for his efforts, he was named the Social Entrepreneur of 2020 by the World Economic Forum’s Schwab Foundation for Social Enterprise.