message｜HIDEYO NOGUCHI AFRICA PRIZE MEDICAL SERVICES CATEGORY

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: Dr. Humphrey Karamagi
Team lead, Data Analytics and Knowledge Management, WHO Regional Office for Africa

Prof. Miriam Khamadi Were (Kenya): Laureate, First Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize,
Medical Services, 2008

Prof. Miriam Khamadi Were (Kenya) Laureate, First Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Medical Services, 2008: The 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize is around the Corner!

In 2006, the Prime Minister of Japan, Hon. Junichiro Koizumi and the then Chairman of the African Union, Hon. Alpha Oumar Konare, signed the agreement that established the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize. This prize was is in honour of the outstanding Japanese Health Scientist, Dr Hideyo Noguchi who lived in the period 1876 to 1928. During his life, Dr Hideyo Noguchi did outstanding medical work and made discoveries including the identification of the bacteria that causes syphilis. He worked in Japan, other parts of Asia and then in the USA and Latin America as well as Europe. His investigative work was so outstanding that between 1913 and 1927, Dr Hideyo Noguchi was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine but had not yet received it by the time he died in 1928 at the young age of 51 years. Most likely Dr Noguchi would have got this prize had he lived longer. The special connection between Dr Hideyo Noguchi and Africa is that he died in Africa, in present day Ghana, in May 1928 while investigating the cause of yellow fever.

The love of Japan for their beloved son, Dr Hideyo Noguchi, is shown by the many monuments in that country in his honour and stamps in his name. Even the 1000 bank note of the Japanese currency, the yen, honours Dr Hideyo Noguchi by having his photo on it. It is a great honour to Africa that Japan named the professional prize honouring Dr Hideyo Noguchi Africa prize! Japan has been and is a leading nation on matters of good health. The prize honours Dr Hideyo Noguchi’s contribution to Medical advancement and his self-sacrificing activities in Africa.

Recognizing that Africa is the region of the world with the most serious health problems, the prize honours individuals and organisations with outstanding achievements in the field of research and medical services to combat infections and other diseased in Africa thus contributing to the health and welfare of the African people and all humankind. This prize is unique in that it has two Categories; one which honours Medical Research and the other that honours Medical Services.

At the time of writing this article in March 2021, it is exciting that preparations are underway for the Fourth Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize that will be awarded in 2022. This article is for the website dedicated to the Medical Services Category of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize. Most prizes and awards in the health/medical field tend to recognise only Medical research. Therefore, when the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize was announced, Medical Specialists concerned with improvement of medical services were thrilled that there was a Category for Medical Services as well! We do recognize the importance of Medical Research but of what value is it if the research findings are not used by people through Medical Services? We were thrilled that Japan, which set up the prize, recognised this!

The specialists who will form the Nomination Committee for the 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Medical Services Category need to see their responsibility as a serious undertaking. Those in this Committee should use the period leading to the awarding of the 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize for advocacy in Africa to mobilise public interest and support for expansion of medical services in Africa as well as for improvement of the quality of medical service to improve the quality of life in Africa. For the one who will win the Prize, the committee should identify outstanding work showing a high level of commitment to improving medical services in Africa. Africa needs to use the awarding of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize to mobilize interest and support for promoting effective medical services in Africa that every individual in every household in every community can reach. This need is very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health is the most fundamental human right. As the former WHO Director General, Dr Mahler, often said, “Health is not everything but without health we have nothing.” We look forward to celebrating the winner of the 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Medical Services Category!!

Prof Miriam K. Were of Kenya was the first Laureate in the Medical Services Category of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize awarded in May, 2008. This was during the 4th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, TICAD-IV, in Yokohama city, Japan. She was awarded the Prize when she was Chairperson of Kenya's National AIDS Control Council (NACC), Chairperson of the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) and had taught Community Health at the University of Nairobi School of Medicine. Most of her work was on expanding health services to the community level with Community Participation.

Dr Alex Godwin Coutinho of Uganda was the second Laureate of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize Medical Services Category. The Second Prize award ceremony took place in June 2013, also in Yokohama city, Japan. Dr Coutinho was recognized for his pioneering efforts to expand access to life-sparing medicine for people infected with HIV. At the time, Dr Coutinho was the Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Institute at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Prof Francis Gervase Omaswa of Uganda is the third Laureate of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Medical Services Category. Prof Omaswa is the Executive Director of African Center for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST). The award ceremony for the third prize also took place in Yokohama, Japan, during the Seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 7).

Now we are eagerly waiting for the 4th Laureate of the Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize, Medical Services Category!

Dr. Alex Godwin Coutinho (Uganda): Laureate, Second Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize,
Medical Services, 2013

Dr. Francis Gervase Omaswa (Uganda): Laureate, Third Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize,
Medical Services, 2019
Executive Director,
African Center for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST)

More information on HNAP (Medical Services Category) Laureates:

Prof. Miriam Khamadi Were: https://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/english/award/01/index-e.html
Dr. Alex Godwin Coutinho: https://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/english/award/02/index.html
Dr. Francis Gervase Omaswa: https://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/english/award/03/index.html