Lilavati Hospital Kirtilal Manilal Mehta

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Kirtilal Manilal Mehta
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Mr. Mehta received a number of honours including
an Award in 1977 for being a Leading Exporter
from the Government of India.
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Mr. Mehta was instrumental in setting up the
300-bed Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Hospital
Medical Research Center in Mumbai.
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Kirtilal Manilal Mehta (1907-1993) was born in
Palanpur on February 7, 1907. He lost his father
when he was just 12, and soon joined the family
business in Rangoon, Burma. After working with
his uncle for a few years, Mehta set up an
independent business in Mumbai under the name
Kirtilal Manilal Mehta. Seeing the potential in
the export of diamonds, he pioneered the entry of
the Indian community into Antwerp, where he
settled with his wife Lilavati in 1953 and
founded the well known firm Gembel NV. By 1956,
he had set up business operations in Hong Kong,
and in 1968 and 1973 established Gembel in Tel
Aviv, Israel and Occidental Gem Inc in New York,
thus developing a network across all the major
diamond centres of the world. Mr. Mehta
received a number of honours including an Award
in 1977 for being a Leading Exporter from the
Government of India, and a Outstanding
Exporters Award from the President of Israel in
1973. Mr. Mehta was the first ever Indian to be
decorated "Officer of the Order of Leopold" by
His Majesty the King of Belgium. He was also
honoured by the Nawab of Palanpur. Mr. Mehta was
instrumental in setting up the 300-bed Lilavati
Kirtilal Mehta Hospital Medical Research Center
in Mumbai, and the Lilavati Hospital in
Palanpur. He also contributed handsomely to the
Vidyamandir Trust to start an English Medium
school in Palanpur and was associated with the
Mahajan Hospital in Palanpur. He passed away on
July 20, 1993 in Antwerp, Belgium.