Bill Gates Confers ICMR Award to Dr.Cyrus Poonawalla
Pune 19th November 2019: Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, Founder and Chairman of Serum Institute of India, was conferred with the prestigious ‘ICMR Lifetime Achievement Medal’ for his outstanding contribution in healthcare, at the hands of Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at the Headquarters of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi on 17th November 2019.
Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla has been widely acknowledged for his unparalleled and continuous mission of global immunization and his path defining philanthropic initiatives.
In 1966, Dr. Poonawalla embarked on his journey to establish Serum Institute of India, Today, Serum Institute is the world’s largest producer of vaccines by number of doses, producing more than 1.5 billion doses a year of life-saving vaccines used in over 170 countries to combat infection from Rabies, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Whooping Cough, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis, Influenza, Meningitis, Rotavirus and Hepatitis B Vaccines among others,thus saving the lives of more than 40 million mostly under-privileged children across the globe, who would have otherwise perished without the availability of affordable vaccines.
This is not the first feather in Dr.Poonawalla’s hat. Very recently, he was conferred with the prestigious ‘Asian Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Dubai, besides ‘Degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa‘ by the University of Oxford, U.K. at a glittering ceremony in June.
He was also conferred with the honorary degree of ‘Doctor of Humane Letters’ by the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA last year for his outstanding contribution in improving the public health for all communities. Also known as a philanthropist, focusing on public causes and underserved communities, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla earlier this year was felicitated with the first-ever ‘Vaccine Hero’ Award by GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative).He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2005 for his contribution to medicine, and a life-time achievement by then prime minister Manmohan Singh.
