UAE: Nominations open for second edition of $250,000 nursing award

The second edition of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award, worth $250,000, is open for nominations from nurses worldwide. Nurses from around the world can submit their nominations via www.asterguardians.com by November 30 this year, benefactors of the award announced Thursday.

Launched in 2021, by Aster DM Healthcare, the nursing award was initiated to acknowledge the humanitarian care extended by nurses worldwide. The first edition was held in Dubai on International Nurses Day in May 2022 which saw Anna Qabale Duba from Kenya win the award.

This year, registered nurses can apply in any of the seven languages – English, Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic or Tagalog.

Nurses can apply in one Primary and up to two Secondary areas of contribution, namely – patient care, nursing leadership, nursing education, social or community service and research or innovation. The secondary areas of contribution can be optional.

Once the applications are received, it will follow a stringent multi-round review process to be managed by a third-party external agency and an independent jury.

“Aster has appointed Ernst and Young LLP (EY) as ‘process advisors’ who would ensure due diligence of applications based on the defined eligibility criteria, evaluation of the entries by an independent panel of experts, and present a list of shortlisted candidates to the Grand Jury,” stated the press release.

The grand jury consists of an independent panel of renowned experts who will review the shortlisted applications to select the final top ten nurses, explained Aster DM Healthcare. These finalists will then undergo a public voting process and panel discussion with the Grand Jury for the final winner to be determined.

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“After the success of the first edition of Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award which saw 24,000 applications coming in from 184 countries, we are going forward with the next edition of the award. I feel that nurses who form the backbone of the healthcare system are under-recognized while they are also overworked and over-stressed,” said Dr Azad Moopen, founder chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare.

“While doctors may be the brain of the healthcare system, I feel nurses must receive their due recognition,” he added.

Anna Qabale, winner of the $250,000 award earlier this year is now utilising the opportunity to build a school for children and adult learning in the remote village of Turbi in Kenya. Hailing from the same village she plans to bridge the literacy gap among nomadic rural communities in northern Kenya.

• UAE