A British and a Nigerian have been named the winners of the prestigious Prince Mahidol Award 2012.
Sir Michael David Rawlins, chairman of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), is the winner in the field of medicine.
The winner in the field of public health is Dr Uche Veronica Amazigo, former director of WHO’s African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC).
Sir Michael has been recognised by the Prince Mahidol Award judging committee as a pioneer in providing evidence-based, clinically and cost-effective health care guidelines that aim to improve standards of healthcare in the UK.
The guidelines set by Sir Michael have been used by governments outside the UK, including Thailand, to strengthen their capacity for evidence-informed decision making.
Dr Amazigo is remarkable for her outstanding contribution in controlling and eliminating onchocerciasis as a disease of public health importance in Africa. Onchocerciasis, or "river blindness", is a major cause of blindness and skin disease in many African countries.
Dr Amazigo played a crucial role behind APOC’s successful strategy called “community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI)” which relies on active community participation to distribute ivermectin treatment to people who need it.
An award presentation will take place in Bangkok late in January.
Each awardee will receive a US$100,000 (3.1 million baht) prize.
A total of 75 medical personnel from 34 countries were nominated this year.