UKZN student TO ATTEND GLOBAL HEALTH MEETING
AUKZN medical student is soon to jet off to a prestigious global health event.
Fifth-year medical student from the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, Mohamed Hoosen Suleman (pictured) has been invited to a World Health Organisation meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 15.
Suleman, who attended the World Health Organisation (WHO) meeting last year as the official South African youth delegate, has, in addition, recently returned from Denmark as an invited delegate to the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Conference. He will now be off to Switzerland to attend the Youth PreWorld Health Assembly (PreWHA) and World Health Assembly (WHA) hosted at the WHO headquarters in Geneva.
The WHA is the WHO's highest decision-making body meeting that is attended by world leaders and delegations of its 194 member states.
An action plan on the top health issues that nations should concentrate on is decided during the summit after a thorough agenda on global health is addressed. Attendance is restricted by invitation only.
For the past two years, Suleman has received a double award from UKZN in the categories of best student researcher and best student innovator. He serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) and is listed among the Top 200 Young South Africans by the Mail and Guardian.
Suleman said he is honoured to be chosen for the event and that he commits to high levels of engagement with leading experts in the field of medicine.
"I am deeply honoured to be shortlisted to attend the meeting and make some contribution to discussions on healthcare policy and diplomacy. An interesting area for me would be discussions relating to the Pandemic Accord proposed by WHO on preparedness, response and recovery to disease outbreaks, and whether or not this international instrument will be accepted by many countries," said Suleman.
Associate Professor from the UKZN's School of Clinical Medicine, Andrew Ross, said the Department of Medicine at UKZN is thrilled to learn that Suleman has been selected to attend the World Health Organisation's highest decision-making body meeting in Geneva.
"We wish him well and we fully support his efforts to ensure that healthcare can be improved, particularly on the African continent. Suleman is commended for his efforts in pursuing academic excellence and I encourage all students to follow in his footsteps. We will also ask Suleman, upon his return from Geneva, to present to the Department of Medicine on the outcomes of discussions at the WHO headquarters," said Ross.