Born in a Bunt family to Shambhu Shetty and Koosamma Shetty, he hails from the Bavaguthu clan who were among the biggest landlords in Kaup, Udupi district, Karnataka, India. A trained pharmacist, Shetty arrived in the UAE in 1973. After recognizing tremendous opportunities in the country's healthcare sector, he opened his first pharmacy in 1975. He then established the New Medical Centre, which also included a dedicated dental department, in 1977. Over the years, the group witnessed steady growth and in 2003, it became the largest hospital chain in the UAE following the acquisition of the National Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Today, it treats more than one million patients a year.
