During a moving ceremony at the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, various awards were presented to a group of individuals from around the world for their outstanding contributions to public health.
Many of the prizes awarded have been established by or set up in memory of, an eminent public health professional.
The 2022 winners were selected at the 150th session of the Executive Board, in January 2022, on the basis of recommendations made by the dedicated selection panels for each prize.
Opening the award ceremony, Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said,” The 2022public health prizes and awards celebrate people and institutions for successfully addressing a huge array of health challenges around the world. Itis an honour for us to come together to acknowledge these true champions of health. I thank the foundations and institutions who so generally support these awards.”
Winners of the 2022 prizes
Professor Mehmet Haberal, Turkey awarded Ihsan Doğramacı, Family Health Foundation Prize whereas the Sasakawa Health Prize went to Dr. Paisan Ruamviboonsuk, Thailand.
Likewise, the United Arab Emirates Health Foundation Prize was given to Nicaragua’s Network for Fighting Malaria and His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Prize for Research in Health Care for the Elderly and in Health Promotion was awarded to Dr. Hanadi Khamis Mubarak AlHamad, Qatar.
Dr. LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health awarded to Professor Prakit Vathesatogkit, Thailand and the Severe Hypothermia Treatment Centre, Poland whereas Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion was given to Dr. Wu Zunyou, China. Also, delegates at the WHA approved a record number of recommendations relating to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers, diabetes, heart and lung diseases, as well as to mental health, and their risk factors.
