Dubai: Nurse Anna Qabale Duba from Kenya has been honored as the winner of the Inaugural Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award.
At an award ceremony hosted at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group handed over the Award to Nurse Duba in the presence of Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare and his daughter, Ms. Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare.
Hailing from the Marsabit County in Kenya, Nurse Anna Qabale Duba also bagged a prize money of $250,000.
Major dignitaries who attended the award ceremony included;
- Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority
- Amer Sharif, CEO of Dubai Academic Health Corporation and Vice Chancellor of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences
The ceremony was also attended by Senior Ministry Officials, Representatives from the Government, VIPs, renowned personalities from UAE and across the globe as well as 600 delegates.
THE AWARD
The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award had earlier declared the list of Top 10 Finalists on the 26th of April 2022.
The winner of the coveted honor was chosen after a public voting process, followed by the Grand Jury’s final evaluation.
Apart from the winner of the award, the 9 Finalists were also awarded with monetary prize.
THE WINNER
Nurse Anna Qabale Duba was the 1st graduate from her village and the only educated child in her family.
Ms. Duba 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.
Nurse Anna Qabale Duba 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 program currently has more than 150 children and 100 adult learners.
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 recognized. It is an honor to receive the award from H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
Nurse Anna Qabale Duba remarked after winning the award.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, expressed that, “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 recognize 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.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, stated that, “All nurses have incredible stories to tell, and we feel honored 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.”
THE OTHER 9 FINALISTS
The other nine finalists who received monetary prize are;
- 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