Pakistani doctor given UN award on child health

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ISLAMABAD: The World Health Assembly has rewarded a Pakistani physician, Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta, for his global work on child health and newborn survival.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Margaret Chan announced the ‘Ihsan Dogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize’ for Dr Bhutta at a session of the assembly in Geneva on Thursday.

Dr Bhutta is the founding director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at Aga Khan University Karachi and Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children Toronto.

He is also one of the seven members of Independent Expert Review Group, appointed by the UN secretary-general for monitoring global progress on maternal and child health millennium development goals.

He represents academic and research organisations on Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations Board and co-chairs the Maternal and Child Health Oversight Committee of WHO Emro and Global Countdown for 2015 Steering Group.

Dr Bhutta told Dawn that it was the first time that a Pakistani had been rewarded at the global forum. Ironically, there was no representation of the government at the award ceremony.

Dr Bhutta’s research interests include newborn and child survival, maternal and child under-nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.

He leads a large group based in Pakistan with special interest in research synthesis.

Besides, Sasakawa Health Prize was awarded to Dr Hubert Bogaert Diaz of Leprosy Control Foundation Dominican Institution of Dermatology and Skin Surgery for expanding services for children affected by skin diseases, other than leprosy.

The UAE Health Foundation Prize was given to the Institution for Research in Health in Costa Rica for its work on gastric cancer and occupational exposure to pesticides.

The Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health was given jointly to Prof Sinata Koulla-Shiro of Cameroon and the Czech Society of Cardiology.