Oncology nurse from Ghana wins global nursing award

A Ghanaian wife-and-mother, 24 years as a healthcare professional in her home country, and whose curiosity into why 70 per cent of the cases of the preventable cancer - most of the time - are diagnosed at their precarious stage - let her get into community engagements for the much-needed solutions, has been chosen as the fourth recipient of a UAE-born international award.

- Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

From over 105,000 applications across 199 countries, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital-National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre-Nursing Department head Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti, is the fourth woman and the second African to win the three-year-old “Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award.”

The ceremonies were held in Dubai on Monday with chief guest the UAE Minister of Tolerance and Co-Existence Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.

Guests included Diplomatic Community officials, 2024 winner Philippine Army consultant Maria Victoria Juan NC (Reserve), Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen and Sunjay Sudhir, Indian Ambassador to the UAE.

From the press conference, jury members Asia Healthcare Holdings executive chairman Vishal Bali, International Diabetes Foundation president elect Dr Niti Pall, Officer of the Order of the British Empire awardee Dr Peter Carter, University of Technology (Sydney, Australia) adjunct professor Dr. James Buchan, and Botswana former health minister Professor Sheila Tlou, called for global support to all nurses worldwide.