Iranian doctor selected for WHO cancer award
Amir Ali Hamidieh, a professor at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, has been recognized for pioneering work in pediatric hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation.
Hamidieh was chosen for the cancer category of the State of Kuwait Prize for the Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, IRNA reported on Wednesday.
The prize recognizes outstanding contributions to the prevention, control or research of these diseases. It consists of a bronze medal and a cash award, with recipients selected by the WHO’s Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The announcement came during the opening of the committee’s 73rd session in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday. The meeting, running through October 15, brings together health ministers and senior delegations from member states. Three recipients are recognized in the categories of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned at the opening session that attacks on health facilities, health workers and patients had increased across the region.
“Hospitals, ambulances and health workers are protected under international humanitarian law. They must never be a target,” he said.
Tedros also said funding cuts had affected nearly 2,000 health facilities across the region and called for greater domestic investment in health systems.
He stressed the need to end conflicts, saying, “The best medicine is peace.”
The award recognizes Hamidieh’s work in treating blood disorders and cancers in children and advancing stem cell transplantation, fields that play an important role in improving care for young patients.