AFGHAN MINISTER WINS AWARD
Just four years after being named as the Minister of Public Health in Afghanistan, securing the highest number of votes from the ministers in the Afghan Parliament, Dr Ferozuddin Feroz has yet again shown his worth.
Beating off stiff competition from seven other nominees on Sunday, Dr Feroz humbly accepted the Best Minister Award from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on the opening day of the World Government Summit (WGS) 2019.
“This is not just credit for me, I have not achieved this on my own. My team, in collaboration with partners, the community, and households across Afghanistan are all part of this prestigious award. I never dreamt that I would receive such an honour, and I accept it with profound gratitude on behalf of every single child and adult in Afghanistan. They are very brave and they are facing uncertainty on a daily basis,” he told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the summit.
The Best Minister Award recognises the exceptional efforts of government ministers in demonstrating excellence in the public sector, designing and implementing successful, scalable and sustainable initiatives for the socio-economic welfare of their citizens.
Asked what he thinks led to him being crowned the winner on Sunday, Dr Feroz said there were contributing factors.
“There were eight criteria for the award, which included the contribution towards the well-being of the population, reduction of mortality, morbidity, and fighting against disease — which for us is the polio virus. We want to stop the circulation of the polio virus altogether. Additionally, one of the issues we have is limited resources and availability of resources, but still, we have been able to see real change for the betterment of our people in Afghanistan,” he said. The eight dimensions against which the nominations and assessments are based included: social impact, economic impact, outreach, foresight, innovation, leadership, scalability, and sustainability.
For Dr Feroz, his time in office with the Department of Public Health has brought about big changes in just a few years.
He has made huge strides in decreasing maternal mortality rates as well as reducing the mortality rate for under five-year-olds by 44 per cent.
Additionally, he has increased the immunisation numbers in protecting children against polio.