Thailand welcomes winners of Prince Mahidol Awards 2012

BANGKOK, January 30 (TNA) - Dean, staffs and students of Siriraj Hospital's Faculty of Medicine on Tuesday welcomed the two winners of Thailand's Prince Mahidol Awards 2012. The two winners of the Prince Mahidol Award 2012, Sir Michael David Rawlins, the awardee in the field of medicine from the United Kingdom, and Dr. Uche Veronica Amazigo, the awardee in the field of public health from Nigeria, then laid their flower garlands at the statues of late Prince Mahidol Adulyadej and late Princess Srinagarindra, the royal parents of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and presented a flower vase to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. The two winners, thereafter, visited the Prince Mahidol's room at the Siammin Building at Siriraj Hospital. Sir Michael David Rawlins is the Founding President of the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and a pioneer in bringing approaches and practices of scientific and clinical-based evidences to evaluate the efficiency and worthiness of drugs, instruments and medical procedures. He determined guidelines for medical treatment, incorporating the highest benefit and cost efficiency, which is now used by countries around the world. Dr. Uche Veronica Amazigo is instrumental in the success of the control of Onchocerciasis (river blindness) in strengthening the community health system in 500,000 communities across 19 countries, covering the African Programme on Onchocerciasis (APOC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), especially while she was the Director of the Programme from 2005-2011. Meanwhile, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that a royal ceremony to confer the honorary Prince Mahidol Awards 2012 will be held at the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on January 30, 2013. (TNA)