Dr Amr Kandeel Wins 2026 Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion

Dr Amr Kandeel, Deputy Minister of Health for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, has been awarded the 2026 Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion, following a decision by the World Health Organization Executive Board.

The selection recognises more than 25 years of service in public health at national and regional levels, marking the first time the award has gone to an Egyptian official. Kandeel is scheduled to receive the award during the plenary session of the World Health Assembly in May 2026, in the presence of the WHO director-general and a representative of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, Kandeel oversaw reforms that led to multiple WHO certifications declaring Egypt free from polio, measles, rubella, trachoma and malaria, with the country becoming the first in Africa to eliminate malaria.

During the same period, national programmes achieved control of hepatitis B among children, making Egypt the first country in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to reach that benchmark. His work also included strengthening infection prevention and antimicrobial resistance initiatives, with five hospitals receiving international accreditation.

Digital transformation efforts were introduced across vaccination records, birth and death registration, epidemiological surveillance and quarantine services.

The ministry added that 129 primary healthcare units were accredited, alongside the rollout of state-funded treatment programmes in 100 health units to expand access and improve service quality.

Established in 2019 to mark the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, the Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion is presented annually to individuals whose work has delivered sustained and measurable improvements in population health, particularly through prevention-focused and equity-driven approaches.