Former IAS officer Dr Rakesh Kumar felicitated by World Book of Records

Dehradun: Former IAS officer Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Chairman of Uttarakhand Public Service Commission and a global health leader of India, has been felicitated with the Certificate of Excellence by the World Book of Records, London for extraordinary leadership in the healthcare field. 

He was recognized for implementing the world's largest immunization programme-Mission Indradhanush with the establishment of 6 new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in India, Polio eradication, Tetanus elimination and introduction of 06 new life-saving vaccines with other path-breaking health initiatives at national and global levels.

The Certificate of Excellence was presented to Dr. Rakesh Kumar by Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh (Governor of Uttrakhand) in the gracious presence of Shri Pushkar Dhami (Chief Minister of Uttarakhand), Swami Chidanand Saraswati (President and Spiritual Head, Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh), Barrister Santosh Shukla (President and CEO, WBR), Dr. Suchita Shukla (Editor, Alma Today) along with dignitaries. On being recognized by the World Book of Records, London (UK), Dr. Rakesh Kumar, IAS was congratulated by Shri Virendra Sharma (Member of Parliament, England), Dr. Diwakar Sukul (Chairman, World Book of Records) and other dignitaries from the international scenario.

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Trained as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, Dr Kumar has been serving the country: firstly, as a physician, and, subsequently, with the Indian Administrative Service since 1992. He held several senior positions in India such as District Magistrate in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, including Nainital and Dehradun, for a period of 8 years; Secretary to the State Government holding charge of School Education, Medical Education, Women & Child Development, Rural Development and Disaster Management.

He was also deputed to the Union Government where he served as the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India, as he led the largest Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) portfolio globally, amongst other several key assignments. He also served as the Additional Country Director/Chief Advisor of UNDP India, the most senior national official of United Nations in India, wherein he led the 2030 Development Agenda (SDGs) at the national and state levels.

In his role as an IAS officer and subsequently, as a UN diplomat, he has established and developed several significant institutions, teams and programs that have contributed to building transparent and stronger systems both across the country and globally.

Dr Kumar was instrumental in the establishment of six new AIIMS (Medical & Research Institutes of Eminence) in India. He successfully led the polio eradication (2014), maternal & neonatal tetanus elimination (2015), and was the chief architect of the world's largest immunization program-Mission Indradhanush (Rainbow), and also expanded the basket of vaccines by introducing six new vaccines in India in a record period.

He also pioneered the concept of the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) and then scaled it up across India. Both Mission Indradhanush and eVIN have been adjudged as best practices in the field of global health. His pioneering work and policy decisions around maternal, newborn and child health have helped achieving a record decline in maternal and child mortality in India.

He is the recipient of several prestigious fellowships and national and international awards such as a fellowship by National Neonatology Forum (NNF); Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP); the SKOCH Challenger Award, the highest civilian award by an independent organization for his contribution to public health in India; and the South-East Asian Public Health Education Institutions Network (SEAPHEIN) Leadership Award for his contribution to public health in the WHO's South-East Asia Region.

He also honed his skills further and got prestigious fellowships from Harvard School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, USA. London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine had chosen him as a Gates Fellow for the prestigious Fellowship in Global Health Leadership Program in 2019.

He has also served as a global expert member of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on MNTE at WHO Geneva, and Regional Technical Advisor of WHO-SEARO on validation of PPTCT of HIV in Thailand. He has authored 30 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and has penned down 20 Op-Eds on public/global health in prestigious newspapers in India.

As a thought leader and motivational speaker, he has been invited as a keynote speaker on global health, SDGs/development and governances at various forums including universities and institutions across the world. While serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and Chief Advisor UNDP, he has effectively represented India on numerous occasions.

He has also served as the Advisor to Hon'ble CM of Uttarakhand state; Expert Member of the Advisory Board to His Excellency, the Governor of Rajasthan state; Strategic Advisor to Rotary International's CALMED program in the United Kingdom; Principal Advisor to Global Health Alliance (UK); and Principal Advisor to Urban Health 360, United States. In his last assignment, as Chief Advisor to Population Services International (PSI), he led the USAID's flagship Urban Health agenda in India and was the architect of the COVID Vaccination Learning Exchange Program (CoVLEx) in partnership with 11 countries in African and Asian regions. Dr. Rakesh Kumar assumed charge of Chairman, Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, on 24th December 2021.

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