11th edition of Swasthya Khabar Health Awards to highlight the importance of health promotion in achieving SDGs

Swasthya Khabar Health Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in Nepal's health sector, aims at recognizing and acknowledging the contributions of health professionals beyond the call of normal duties.

NL Today

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KathmanduSwasthya Khabar Patrika, the pioneer health magazine of Nepal, is all set to organize its 11th edition of Health Awards 2023 in September under the theme ‘SDGs: Health and Wellbeing for all’.

Help Publication, the publisher of Swasthya Khabar Patrika, has decided to choose the theme of SDGs to emphasize the importance of Nepal’s commitments toward achieving global goals (2030 Agenda).

The selection of this edition’s theme is a deeper realization of the publication that the participation of all stakeholders including the media sector is very imperative to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said Anil Nyaupane, chairperson of Swasthya Khabar Patrika.

“It is worth mentioning that health promotion has a crucial role to play in realizing the entire SDGs agenda,” he said. “It is equally important to highlight the spirit of national solidarity and sincerity in order to improve health and reduce health inequities within the context of the 2030 Agenda.”

Through the award, we want to acknowledge the progress made so far in the area of addressing global goals and pay respect to health professionals and policy advocates who have devoted themselves to the health and wellbeing of Nepali people, Nyaupane said.

SDG 3 aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. The goal covers all major health priorities: reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health; communicable and non-communicable diseases; universal health coverage; and access for all to health services.

“Millions of Nepali people can be benefitted if the SDG targets are realized in a time-bound manner,” Nyaupane said. “Now is the time that we need to review our efforts in the last eight-year since the global goals came into effect.”

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The annual Swasthya Khabar Health Awardsare provided to a person or persons, an institution or institutions, or community-based health professionals or volunteers, who or which has/have made a significant contribution to Nepal’s health promotion. The overall objective of the award is to reward and recognize contributions and achievements by health professionals with a proven impact on health gains in countries.

Each year, an independent selection panel has been formed for the nomination and finalization of the award winners. The selection panel is led and supervised by the Ministry of Health and Population while other health stakeholders are also represented in the panel.

“We are committed to bringing multiple stakeholders on board in the entire process of awards distribution,” Nyaupane informed. “We anticipate cooperation and collaboration with government, United Nations Agencies, INGOs and national and international stakeholders in the process of award distribution,” Nyaupane appealed.

Health Award is a flagship initiative ofSwasthya Khabar Patrika, Nepal’s pioneer health-specialized magazine that started its publications 14 years ago. Nepal Live and Nepal Live Today are sister publications of the magazine.