Dr Arif Ali Kolethekkat
ENT-Otolaryngologist
Sultan Qaboos Hospital
Not all people are blessed with versatility and that is exactly why Dr Arif Ali Kolethekkat, ENT-Otolaryngologist stands out of the crowd. Be it handling the forceps, Microscope or Endoscope, playing the tabla, acting on stage or wielding the pen to write books, he does it all with elan. A gifted writer and a tablist, he is the Consultant ENT, Skull base, Head and Neck Surgery at Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah, which is under the Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman.
A Journey That Began in Kalathode
Hailing from Kalathode in Thrissur District, Arif Ali was born to the late KK Alikutty Sahib, who served as Food Inspector of Madras State before the formation of Kerala and later in Malabar District, and PR Fathima, a housewife from Irikur, Kannur. He completed his Pre-Degree at St Thomas College in Thrissur before joining Thrissur Medical College for MBBS. Arif Ali then pursued postgraduate studies in ENT, Head and Neck at the prestigious Christian Medical College in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The big break in life came in 2007 when he came to the Sultanate to work in Badr Al Samaa Hospital in Muscat. In 2011, Arif Ali, who also has an MS, DLO, DNB, and MRCS from Edinburgh, joined Sultan Qaboos University Hospital where he served until 2023. From October that year, he joined SQ Hospital in Salalah as the Consultant in the ENT Head and Neck Surgery. He has presented and published many academic article in international confrences and journals in the field of medicine.
Master of Versatility
Arif Ali, who is also a Fellow in Rhinology from Australia, was in the Surgical Trainer Syllabus Committee of Oman Medical Specialty Board. He is also a history buff and writer who has penned ‘Ariyapedatha Pourasthyalokam’ in 2020 in which he unveils Ibn Sina, the world famous Arab physician of the Middle Ages and hundreds of other medieval Arabian scientists and philosophers after researching the extensive works of 1000 years of Arbian era in the middle age. He is also an authority on the links between Greek and Modern Medicine. The book bagged the prestigious Abudhabi Shakthi award in the same year of publication and many others since then. This ENT Surgeon is also an expert percussionist who plays the tabla with ease. Arif Ali is also no stranger to theatre. He has acted in over 14 amateur dramas.
While working in Muscat, he won the OMSB Best Trainer Award in 2015 and the Best Employee Award of SQUH in 2017. His acting prowess fetched him the Best Actor Award in 1993 at intermedical arts festival while training medical education in Thrissur Medical College. While in Thrissur , he was very active in theatre. Some of his dramas are ‘Kasera Kali’, ‘Goethe Kathu’ and ‘Kalyana Sougandhikam’, ‘Vidhooshakan’, ‘Antigone’, and Prometheus’.
There are more feathers to his cap. He has written 27 articles for Oman Observer daily on medical and philosophical field and has been a health awareness motivator and anchor. Arif Ali is the creator of IMA in Gulf sector, also served as the Founder President of the Indian Medical Association, the first overseas branch of IMA Kerala in Muscat in 2014. He is also a part of the managing committee of IMA in Salalah.
Family
Arif Ali is married to Rejitha PT, the daughter of famous film maker and socio-cultural figure Mr P T Kuujumohammed, and they have two children. The eldest Akila Arif is a first-year MBBS student at Amala Medical College in Thrissur, while the second child Abia Arif is a Class XI student at Indian School Salalah.
Contact Information
Dr Arif Ali Kolethekkat
Consultant ENT-Otolaryngologist
Sultan Qaboos Hospital
PO Box: 98, Salalah 211, Sultanate of Oman
