There are professional journeys that are measured in appointments, promotions and years of service, and then there are journeys whose true measure lies in the people touched along the way. Dr Syed Anwar Khursheed belongs firmly to the latter category. Born in Gulbarga, Karnataka, he carried the memory of his hometown with him when his medical career took him to Saudi Arabia, but the passage of time did not loosen that connection. Instead, his life gradually acquired two geographical anchors: India, where his roots remained deeply embedded, and Saudi Arabia, where more than 45 years of healthcare, community engagement and public service unfolded.

In January 2025, that long journey came full circle in Bhubaneswar. At the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award on Dr Khursheed for his contribution to Medical Science. He was among 27 awardees selected from across the world and the recipient representing Saudi Arabia on the 2025 list. The honour recognised not merely a distinguished medical career, but a much wider contribution encompassing healthcare, community service, education, the promotion of AYUSH and the strengthening of India-Saudi Arabia ties.

The foundations of that recognition were laid over decades. Dr Khursheed served for around three decades at King Faisal Hospital in Taif, developing particular expertise in critical care and emergency medicine, before moving to Riyadh, where he spent nearly a decade as a Family Medicine Physician and Royal Protocol physician. His career placed him in environments where medicine demanded not only technical competence but composure, judgement and an ability to work across institutions and communities. Indian public sources have described him as one of the longest-serving Indian physicians in the Saudi government healthcare system, with approximately 45 years of public healthcare experience.

Yet hospitals tell only part of the story. For more than three decades, Dr Khursheed was involved in the medical arrangements surrounding Hajj, providing assistance to pilgrims in Mina and Arafat and overseeing critical-care operations and disaster-management responsibilities. This also gave him a unique opportunity to care for pilgrims in the camps, visiting them during the hours after his official duty. The work was carried out for a month each year over a period stretching across three decades, placing him repeatedly at the intersection of medicine and one of the world’s largest human gatherings. The setting demanded an acute understanding of emergency medicine, organisation and human vulnerability, with the smallest medical decision potentially carrying enormous consequences.

Then came COVID-19, a crisis that transformed the meaning of proximity in healthcare. While hospitals confronted unprecedented pressure, Dr Khursheed remained closely engaged with members of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia. He provided video consultations, advised patients and families on whether hospital care was necessary, followed up patients after admission and helped keep families informed. He also provided essential medical aid and house calls where possible, supported geriatric care and became a strong advocate for vaccination. His COVID-related podcast was published on the Saudi Ministry of Health website in Hindi and Urdu for Indian expatriates, extending his medical outreach beyond the consulting room.