Doctors from across South Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Maldives were felicitated in the second edition of British Medical Journal (BMJ) Awards in Mumbai recently.
The awards this year consisted of a diverse and egalitarian mix of categories spanning healthcare quality, medical education, technological innovation and research, and clinical excellence.
Tim Brooks, CEO, BMJ said “The awards reflect our desire to recognise and showcase excellence in the practice of medicine in South Asia. The nominations that we received this year truly added credence to the stature of the Awards. We hope the Awards this year highlight the most spectacular achievements of doctors in South Asia and help the winners and the finalists receive the acknowledgment they truly deserve.”
More than 900 high-quality nominations were received for the awards from across South Asia and these were shortlisted to 36 nominations across 12 categories. Winners were presented with a trophy and certificate amongst India’s most senior healthcare professionals, industry executives, government officials, academicians, and researchers.
The awards ceremony was attended by top healthcare dignitaries in the country and an esteemed panel of jury members, which consisted of eminent thought leaders, senior experienced doctors, and industry veterans from various healthcare organisations.
The BMJ Awards South Asia received support from organisations like Royal College of Physicians, British Cardiovascular Society, PlexusMD, National Health Portal, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Sri Lanka Medical Association, Insignia, among others organisations.
Prashant Mishra, managing director, BMJ India said “The second edition of the awards have received phenomenal response from doctors and healthcare professionals across South Asia and has helped to bring to the forefront stories of excellence in healthcare in the region. We are thankful to doctors for their support and hope that BMJ Awards South Asia has helped to provide recognition to the true stars of South Asian healthcare.
Prof Sunit Singhi from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh got awarded for Research Paper of the year, Dr Subramania Iyer from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences , Kochi got awarded for Surgical Team of the Year, Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe from Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo for Cardiology Team of the Year, Dr M. Madhuwanthi Dissanayake from University of Colombo for Excellence in Medical Education, Dr Anbarasan M from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and research, Puducherry for Post Graduate Thesis of the Year, Prof Nihal Thomas from CMC, Vellore, India for Diabetes team of the Year, Lalitha Raghuram from MOHAN Foundation, Hyderabad for Healthcare Advocacy, Dr. Sundeep Salvi from Chest Research Foundation, Pune for Pulmonology Team of the Year, Dr. Ashalatha Radhakrishnan from Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Kerala for Medical Team of the Year, Mahesh Rajasuriya from University of Colombo, Columbo for Healthcare Journalist of the Year, Rema Nagarajan from Times of India, Delhi for Healthcare Journalist of the Year, Dr Manju Mani from Saket City Hospital, Delhi for Quality Improvement in Healthcare and Dr. Ajay Aurora from Vision Plus Eye Centre, Noida for Innovation in Health Care.
RCP issued a statement remarking that it was delighted to be partnering with the BMJ South Asia Awards 2015 and they looked forward to supporting BMJ India in recognising and rewarding the excellent work that these doctors do.
Martin Sloot, general director, MSF India, said “This year, MSF is happy to partner with BMJ Awards of Excellence South Asia. We congratulate BMJ for the initiative to organise the awards recognising the significant efforts made from the medical community in the region towards medicine.
Dr Rohan Desai, founder, PlexusMD and sponsor said about BMJ Awards "BMJ Awards, one of the most prestigious events in the world of Medicine, is a celebration of the toil and brilliance of physician teams across South Asia. At PlexusMD, our vision is to bring doctors and healthcare providers across the world on to a single platform for easier information exchange and collaboration. We are privileged to be the digital partners to BMJ South Asia Awards 2015 and hope that we can provide the awards a wider reach and help spread the great work being done by the BMJ India team.”