Two Indians are among 10 nurses shortlisted from across the world for the $250,000 Global Nursing Award, organised by a leading healthcare provider in the GCC and India, to recognise their contributions to humanity.
Shanti Teresa Lakra from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Kerala-born Jincy Jerry from Ireland will be evaluated by a judging panel for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award, which will take place in London on May 12, coinciding with the International Nurses Day.
Lakra, from G.B. Pant Hospital in Port Blair, is working amongst Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands -- home to six Scheduled Tribes and of these six tribes, five have been classified as PVTGs.
In her early nursing days, she was posted to the sub-centre, Dugong Creek where one of the Primitive tribes Ongees are settled in the remotest area of Little Andaman.
Lakra is working for tribals in this region who are not well-informed about medical procedures and there is a language barrier. They also have unclear medical histories.
"In 2004 when the Indian Ocean tsunami swallowed the Ongee Island habitat and drove them deep into the jungle, Shanti was perseverant and made her home with them and lived in an open tent," her citation read. She is a recipient of several awards such as the National Florence Nightingale Award in 2010, Indian Red Cross Society Best Volunteer, and Best Health Worker Award in 2011.
India honoured Lakra in 2011 with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri for her incredible service.
Kerala-born Jincy Jerry of Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin serves as Assistant Director of Nursing for Infection Prevention and Control.
"Jerry believes that innovation is a way to increase quality and patient safety and has developed digital, device and service innovations.
"The challenges faced by Ireland's healthcare infrastructure during the Covid-19 pandemic pushed her to learn and implement these solutions to fulfil repetitive, high-volume tasks. These solutions contributed to enhanced coordination, better workforce management, systematic practices, and a lower burnout rate among the staff," according to the citation.
To cut down on the potential for human error while collating results from laboratories, Jerry also designed an appropriate software solution. She won the Prix Hubert Tuor Innovation Academy Award in 2021.
Over 52,000 registrations from over 202 countries were received for the second edition of the Award. Aster DM Healthcare is one of the leading healthcare providers in the GCC and India, currently operating 30 hospitals, 125 clinics, 496 pharmacies and 177 labs & Patient Experience Centres spread across seven countries.