Two doctors from AIIMS win BMJ Awards South Asia

BMJ (British Medical Journal), one of the world's leading medical journals, recognises individuals and teams who have worked tirelessly to champion the cause of healthcare in South Asia.Marie Gilbert Majella from JIPMER Pondicherry was awarded under the 'PG Thesis Paper of the Year' category for her thesis on tuberculosis which continues to be a major cause of mortality in developing countries.

Besides, Manisha Acharya from Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital got the award in the category of 'Quality Improvement Team of the Year' for improvement in eye bank tissue utilisation through quality assurance initiatives.

The awards, considered the 'Academy Awards' of the medical field, were given in 10 categories, selected from more than 1500 high-quality nominations by a panel of eminent medical professionals.

Prashant Mishra, Managing Director, BMJ India said, "Our vision is to create a healthier world and we consistently create opportunities and platforms that can bring important stakeholders together in healthcare. The Healthcare Summit and Awards reflect our desire to highlight cases of South Asian clinical excellence and raise questions that determine the further of healthcare.

The winners of the 3rd edition of prestigious BMJ awards were as follows:

1. PG thesis of the year - Marie Gilbert Majella from JIPMER Pondicherry for her thesis on tuberculosis continues to be a major cause of mortality in developing countries.

2. Excellence in medical education - Dr. Frederick Moutappa, Pondicherry Aravind eye hospital for structured stimulator based surgical training program to tackle cataract blindness in india.

3. Non communicable disease initiative of the year - Dr. Atul Ambekar , AIIMS Delhi for strengthening drug de addiction programme.

4. Quality improvement team of the year- Dr. Manisha Acharya , shroffs eye institute for improvement in eye bank tissue utilisation through quality assurance initiatives.

5. Recognition for promoting integrity in healthcare- Mr. Syed Nazakat , health analytics india , a pioneer in promoting data driven reporting on healthcare.

6. Research paper of the year - Dr.. Govind Makharia from AIIMS Delhi for intermittent supervised therapy for abdominal tuberculosis.

7. Surgical team of the year- Dr. Bidya Prasad from tipitaka chalupala eye hospital Myanmar for free cataract surgical program.

8. Infectious disease initiative of the year - Dr. Sanjeev Singh , Amrita institute of medical science kochi for antibiotic stewardship program.

9. Healthcare innovation- Dr. Senthil Amudhan from NIMHANS Bangalore for development of mental health care delivery model and manual for accredited social health activist in india.

10. Non communicable disease Initiative - Dr. Atul Ambekar , AIIMS Delhi for strengthening drug Addiction program.

Chief Guest at the awards, Minister of State - Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel lauded the BMJ Awards and said, "It gives me immense pleasure to be present at the 3rd edition of BMJ Awards in India, that started in the UK 2009. The awards have been lauded as the Oscars of medicine and do reflect the unique vision in the very best of healthcare achievements."

This year, BMJ India also hosted the first ever Healthcare Improvement Summit in partnership with the Public Health Foundation of India. This half day event, on November 19, brought together healthcare leaders and influencers from the government, social healthcare enterprises, healthcare organizations, and academia to address issues, such as primary healthcare, affordable healthcare technologies, and public private partnerships.