Ahmed bin Saeed honours the winner of the first Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2022

• Anna Qabale Duba from Kenya named the winner of the $250,000 Award
• Award ceremony held in Dubai on International Nurses Day
• Special video message of Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – Director General of World Health Organisation, highlights importance of celebrating the contribution of nurses to healthcare systems across the world
• Over 24,000 nurses from 184 countries competed for the Award, out of which 10 finalists were announced last month
• Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is one of the world’s top awards in nursing
• The award was presented in the presence of Dr. Azad Moopen, Ms. Alisha Moopen and Mr. T J Wilson

Dubai, UAE, May 12^th, 2022 – His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group today honoured the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award at an award ceremony held at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.

Anna Qabale Duba from Marsabit County in Kenya was named the winner of the Award, which has a prize money of $250,000.

The award ceremony was attended by His Excellency Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority; His Excellency Dr. Amer Sharif, CEO of Dubai Academic Health Corporation and Vice Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and senior ministry officials, government representatives, VIPs, renowned personalities from UAE and abroad and 600 delegates. The top 10 finalists for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award were announced on 26 April. The winner was chosen after a public voting process, followed by the Grand Jury’s final evaluation. The other nine finalists were also awarded a monetary prize.

Anna Qabale Duba was the first graduate from her village and the only educated child in her family. She chose education because she understood that illiteracy held people back from learning new things and changing harmful cultural norms. During her nursing studies, she won the Miss Tourism Kenya 2013. She used her influence to advocate for gender equality and education in her community. Under the Qabale Duba Foundation, she built a school in her village where children could study in the morning and adults in the afternoon. The community literacy programme currently has over 150 children and 100 adult learners.

On winning the award, Nurse Anna Qabale Duba said, “I feel extremely happy and privileged to receive this prestigious award. Ever since I heard about the award, I was very keen on applying to it as it provides nurses from all over the world a platform to be recognised. It is an honour to receive the award from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. My heartfelt gratitude to the jury members and Aster DM Healthcare for providing me with this opportunity to tell my story. I dedicate this award to my patients, family, co-workers and to all those who have supported me in this journey.”

Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare said, “Heartiest congratulations to Anna Qabale Duba from Kenya for being the winner of the first ever Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award. Her contribution to the healthcare community and to the field of nursing has been remarkable and we truly hope that her story continues to inspire many.”

“It gives us a great sense of fulfillment to witness the impact that Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award has been able to create. What started as an initiative to recognise the outstanding contribution of nurses worldwide has now emerged as a movement encouraging people to acknowledge the contribution of nurses to their lives and society. As we look forward to the next edition of the award, we hope more nurses will come forward to share their stories and inspire the youth to consider a long-term successful career in Nursing,” added Dr. Azad Moopen.

Ms. Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare said, “All nurses have incredible stories to tell, and we feel honoured to be able to provide a platform like Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award which has been able to celebrate and cascade some of these deserving stories to the world. I cannot imagine a single day in healthcare without these nurses pushing boundaries of care delivery and ensuring the well-being of their patients. In alignment with the spirit of International Nurses Day, this is our effort to #CarefortheCaregivers.”

The other nine finalists included Dida Jirma Bulle from Kenya; Francis Michael Fernando from United Kingdom; Jasmine Mohammed Sharaf from United Arab Emirates; Julia Dorothy Downing from United Kingdom; Lincy Padicala Joseph from India, Manju Dhandapani from India; Matthew James Ball from Australia; Rachel Abraham Joseph from United States and Wais Mohammad Qarani from Afghanistan.

To know more about the winner and the finalists, please visit: https://www.asterguardians.com/