Indian Academy awards:

Honorary Fellowship to Health Minister

Healthcare and Nutrition Sri Lanka Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was awarded a fellowship by the International Medical Sciences Academy (IMSA) of India during their annual convention in Chandigarh, India on Saturday.

The Minister was awarded the fellowship for his exceptional services to the development of health services in Sri Lanka and also for his contribution towards global health development during his tenure as World Health Organisation Executive Board Chairman and as World Health Assembly President in 2009.

In awarding this fellowship, IMSA recognized Minister de Silva as a global leader in health who has made immense contribution to the World Health Organization to improve the health of mankind. IMSA also offered a special award called Dr. Narasimha Rao International Award to the Health Minister.

Some of the previous awardees of the fellowship are Prof. K. Nakayama - Cancer Research Centre, Tokyo, Japan, N. S. J. Victor - Director, the Waliter & Eliza Hall, Institute of Medical Research, Australia, Dr. U. Koko - Regional Director, South East Asia Region, who India, Prof. L. Suryanarayana - Vice Chancellor, University of Health Sciences, India, Prof. Klinkmann - President, Academy of Sciences, Berlin, Germany, Prof. H. C. Coris Luban - Vice President, International Federation of Hygiene, Social Medicine, President of Foundation for Psychosomatic and Social Medicine, Switzerland, Prof. K. V. Thiruvengadam, Prof of Medicine and Head of Department of Madras Medical College and Physician, Government General Hospital Madras, Dr. J. Henirich Joist, Prof. of Pathology & Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University, USA, Prof. Sir David Weatherall - Oxford University, UK, Dr. Tahir Ali Javed - Health Minister, Lahore, Pakistan, Prof. Frank Keane, Ireland and Prof. Malik H. Mubashar - Cairo, Egypt.