Dr Nittaya Phanuphak of Thailand, Dr K. Suresh Kumar of India, and Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) have been selected as recipients of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Award 2026 for Public Health Champions
The award recognizes Dr Nittaya for pioneering innovative and equitable HIV prevention and service delivery models that have influenced policy and practice across the Asia-Pacific region; Dr Kumar for pioneering a community-owned model that has transformed community-based palliative care across multiple countries; and NNJS for restoring sight to millions through equitable, people-centred eye-care services that have significantly reduced avoidable blindness in Nepal
Congratulating the recipients of the award, Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, said: “They have demonstrated how innovation, equity and community engagement can transform health outcomes and improve lives. Their leadership has inspired innovations that have shaped policy, strengthened health systems and expanded access to quality health services, showing how locally driven solutions can deliver lasting public health impact across the Region and beyond. Their achievements exemplify the transformative power of innovation, equity and community action to improve health and well-being for all.”
Dr Nittaya Phanuphak is Executive Director of the Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI) in Thailand and has spent more than 25 years advancing HIV prevention, clinical research and service delivery. She pioneered innovative and equitable HIV prevention and service delivery models, including the Princess PrEP programme and the Asia-Pacific region’s first transgender-led clinic, Tangerine Community Health Center. Her work has informed Thailand’s national HIV policies and regional and global guidance, expanded access to HIV prevention and treatment for key populations, and demonstrated how community-led approaches can accelerate progress towards ending HIV as a public health threat.
Dr K. Suresh Kumar founder of the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kozhikode, India, has led efforts to advance palliative care for more than three decades. He pioneered the internationally recognized Kerala Model, a community-owned approach that integrates volunteers, local governments and primary health care to deliver compassionate, affordable and sustainable palliative care. The model has contributed to palliative care coverage reaching nearly 60% of Kerala’s population, compared with less than 2% nationally, and has been adapted across Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Bhutan, demonstrating how community participation can expand access to quality palliative care.
Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) is Nepal’s largest philanthropic eye-care provider and has worked for nearly five decades to eliminate avoidable blindness. Through an extensive nationwide network of eye hospitals and vision centres, innovative outreach programmes and the integration of eye care into primary health care, NNJS has restored sight to millions and helped reduce Nepal’s blindness prevalence from 0.84% in 1981 to 0.28% in 2020/2021. Since its establishment, the organization has delivered more than 46.8 million outpatient consultations and 5.39 million eye surgeries, providing a sustainable, people-centred model for equitable eye care and valuable lessons for countries across the South-East Asia Region.
Now in its second year, the WHO South-East Asia Regional Award for Public Health Champions recognizes individuals and institutions whose sustained leadership and contributions have led to significant and lasting improvements in public health across the Region. The award honours achievements that have transformed health systems, advanced equity, strengthened resilience, and delivered measurable health gains through innovation, community engagement and health systems strengthening. This year, 102 nominations were received from across the South-East Asia Region.
The recipients were selected through a competitive process by a screening committee comprising senior WHO officials. Nominations were assessed based on public health impact, innovation, scalability, sustainability and equity
The awards will be presented during the Seventy-ninth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia, to be held in Dili, Timor-Leste, in September 2026
