AJMAN — A medical education partnership linking the UAE and Poland reached a major milestone this month as the Thumbay International Pathway completed its first decade and celebrated 90 graduates who have gone on to earn medical degrees in Europe.
The Medical University of Lublin (MUL), Poland, will honour students of the Thumbay International Pathway during a convocation ceremony on June 23, marking ten years since the programme was launched at Gulf Medical University (GMU) in Ajman.
The pathway allows students to complete their pre-clinical studies in the UAE before transferring to Poland for clinical training, ultimately graduating with an MD degree from the Medical University of Lublin.
The programme began in 2017 with just 27 students enrolled in an Associate Degree in Preclinical Sciences. Since then, it has expanded into one of the region’s notable international medical education pathways, attracting students from across the world.
More than 650 students representing 62 nationalities have enrolled since its inception. The first batch graduated from Lublin in 2023, and the latest convocation brings the total number of graduates to 90 doctors.
Today, 335 students from more than 45 countries are pursuing pre-clinical studies at Gulf Medical University, with additional cohorts progressing through the six-year programme.
In 2022, the UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation renewed the programme’s accreditation and approved its transition to the Higher Diploma in Preclinical Sciences (HDPCS), a Level 6 qualification. Under the model, students spend three years in Ajman before moving to Lublin for three years of clinical training.
University leaders said the programme’s growth reflects rising demand for internationally recognised medical qualifications and structured pathways into the profession.
“Every name we read out today began as an application from a student who simply wanted to become a doctor,” said Prof. Manda Venkataramana, Chancellor of Gulf Medical University.
“What this pathway provides is a clear route from Ajman to a European medical degree. With graduates now practising in different parts of the world and our tenth cohort joining the programme, it is rewarding to see how far this initiative has come.”
Prof. Wojciech Załuska, Rector of the Medical University of Lublin, said the partnership had become an important part of the university’s international engagement.
“Lublin has been educating physicians for more than eighty years, and our collaboration with Gulf Medical University has become one of the most successful chapters in that history,” he said.
“The students arriving from Ajman are academically well prepared and ready to begin clinical training. We are proud to welcome them and to see them graduate as doctors.”
The convocation will be attended by Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group and Gulf Medical University, whose vision helped establish the pathway a decade ago.
University officials said the programme was designed to provide students in the UAE and beyond with direct access to internationally recognised medical education while strengthening academic ties between the two institutions.
As the programme enters its second decade, organisers say the anniversary is not only a celebration of 90 newly qualified doctors but also of the hundreds of students, faculty members and families who have contributed to building a cross-border medical education pathway spanning two countries.
