Born in Thiruvizhamkunnu near Mannarkad, Palakkad District – a village in the foothills of the Western Ghats, nestled with flora and fauna and bisected with a river – Dr. Hamza Thayyil had his primary education at a nearby school. His secondary education was more arduous, involving a trek of eight kilometres each way, including a swim across a river that was mostly in spate during the monsoons. He stood first in the SSLC exam, among all the entrants to Farook College, Feroke, where he did his pre-degree; among his classmates were the future neurologist Dr. Salam and future Education Minister Abdul Rabb.

Dr. Thayyil commenced his medical studies in 1967 at Calicut Medical College and was part of the 11th batch that graduated in 1972. He had his first working stint at Chest Hospital, Calicut, as the opening RMO at its inauguration. He then went into government service, joining ESI at Mavoor. He had a flourishing general practice until he was selected for postgraduate studies (MS General Surgery), first in Trivandrum and then in Calicut.

After completing the MS course in 1981, Dr. Hamza Thayyil worked briefly in Wayanad, before joining the MCh Urology programme under the tutelage of the renowned Prof. Roy Chally at Calicut Medical College. Along the way, Dr. Thayyil bagged the best paper prize during the Urological Association of Kerala meeting at Kollam, and regularly attended and presented papers at almost all national conferences pertaining to Urology.

Next, Dr. Thayyil worked for a year at the District Hospital in Mananthavady, Wayanad, before joining the Government General Hospital in Calicut, where he had a long stint of 18 years, 15 of which were as head of the Department of Surgery. Dr. Thayyil took voluntary retirement in 1996 to set up his own Urology Centre at Calicut. The hospital grew to a prominent position in the heart of Calicut city, earning a reputation that enabled it to weather the corporate tornado. It has all the facilities of a modern Urology Centre, with state-of-the-art equipment and service at an affordable cost.

Dr. Thayyil has held numerous positions in medical associations and has actively participated in executive roles throughout his career, most recently as President of Urological Society of Kerala. He was the organising secretary for SZ USI 2007, organising secretary for the IMA state conference, and organising chairman for UAK 2009. He has also been part of mass awareness programmes, having appeared on television in programmes featuring discussions of the subject of Urology.