ASIAN pharmacy tycoons, Dr Bhikhu Patel and Dr Vijay Patel OBE, last week inaugurated the Waymade Institute of Nursing Sciences at Bhaikaka University, Anand.
The facility was inaugurated last Wednesday (7) in the presence of Patel family who travelled from London to attend the event. HH Jashbhai Sahebji of the Anoopam Mission, which is building the UK’s first Hindu crematorium in Denham, Uxbridge, also attended.
The founders of Waymade Group said they hoped the institute will address India’s growing shortage of trained nursing professionals, a challenge highlighted by the World Health Organization, which noted that the country has one of the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the world.
Initially, the facility will train 265 students across post-graduate, graduate and diploma nursing programmes. There are plans to add another 310 seats, taking the total intake to 575 students in future.
Spread across more than 25,000 square feet, the institute features smart classrooms with wi-fi connectivity, advanced simulation laboratories, nursing foundation and advanced skill labs, community health nursing and nutrition labs, a departmental library, a multi-purpose hall with audio-visual facilities, and modern faculty offices.
The Patel family during the event
The Patel brothers also revealed plans to collaborate with Bristol University when it opens its India campus this summer.
“Bristol University has plans to open its India campus, and Waymade will be exploring a collaboration on that project,” Bhikhu, who studied at the university, said.
The University of Bristol received approval last year from the Indian government to establish a campus in Mumbai. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2026, the Mumbai Enterprise Campus will become the university’s first international campus.
The brothers support a four-year PhD programme at the university in collaboration with the British Heart Foundation, providing students with an opportunity to work in cardiovascular research.
Starting with a single pharmacy in a seaside town in Essex in 1975, the Patel brothers went on to build one of the UK’s most successful specialty pharmaceutical businesses, creating wealth that they have consistently channelled into philanthropy across three continents.
After losing their father at a young age in Africa—Vijay who was five and Bhikhu was seven—they were raised by their mother, whose emphasis on education, discipline and charitable giving shaped both their personal values and business philosophy.
“Wealth is wealth, but what matters is how one utilises it,” Dr Vijay told Eastern Eye, recalling the lessons learnt from their mother. “She always said that ethically, one should not earn too much beyond one’s needs. But if you do have more, you must share it with others, especially those in need.”
Stressing the family’s values, he added, “We are a very frugal family. We ensure that we don’t abuse wealth.”
He noted that philanthropy remains a field with growing demand and said the family would “continue to do whatever is needed”.
Through the Shanta Foundation, they support initiatives in health, education and shelter across the UK, India and Africa.
“Whatever qualities we have or don’t have, that is through my mother,” Vijay said, recalling her insistence that education was the surest path forward.
After moving to the UK from Kenya at 15, Vijay trained as a pharmacist at what later became De Montfort University, Leicester. He opened his first high-street pharmacy, Chemy’s, in Leigh-on-Sea in 1975, expanding it into a chain of more than 20 outlets before selling the business to Boots. He then established Waymade as a pharmaceutical wholesaler, which grew rapidly during the 1990s and 2000s.
Bhikhu , who studied architecture at Bristol University, initially pursued his own entrepreneurial ventures before joining his brother in the pharmaceutical sector. Together, they launched Amdipharm (named after Vijay’s sons Amit and Dipen) which expanded globally and registered products in 110 countries before being sold to private equity firm Cinven in a £370 million deal in 2012.
The family later launched Atnahs—named after their mother Shanta—which focused on reviving off-patent medicines. In 2021, the business was sold again, while the family retained a significant minority stake. Today, their pharmaceutical interests continue through Waymade, alongside investments in property and private equity via Waymade Capital.
They were ranked 12th in Eastern Eye’s Asian Rich List 2026, with an estimated wealth of £1.5 billion.
