Nurse Maria Victoria Juan from Philip pines wins the prestigious
Aster Guardians Global Nursing Awa rd 2024
Maria Juan from wins INR 2 Crores at the award ceremony in Bengaluru, sel ected from a pool of 78,000 nurses fro m 202 countries.
Bengaluru, India, 1 December2024: Nu rse Maria Victoria Juan from Philippin es, a Consultant at Philippines Army H ealth Services and Colonel, Reserve Fo rce of the Armed Forces of the Philipp ines, has been announced as the winn er of Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2024 and awarded with INR 2 C rore at a prestigious award ceremony held in Bengaluru, India. The winner w as announced by Dr. Azad Moopen, Fo ounder Chairman of Aster DM Health care, and presented by Shri Dinesh Gu ndu Rao, Hon’ble Minister of Health a nd Family Welfare, Government of Kar nataka alongside Bollywood actress So nali Bendre, Shri U. T. Khader, Hon’ble Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative A ssembly, Alisha Moopen, Deputy Mana ging Director – Aster DM Healthcare In dia and T J Wilson, Executive Director and Group Head – Governance & Corp orate Affairs, Aster DM Healthcare.Th
e Aster Guardians Global Nursing Awa rd was launched by Aster DM Healthca re in 2021, with an aim to recognize an d celebrate the extraordinary contribu tions of nurses to patients across the w orld. The 2024 edition of the awards sa w an overwhelming participation from 78,000 nurses from 202 countries, mar king 50% growth in applications recei ved in 2023.
The event also featured a special mess age from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebre yesus, Director-General of the World H ealth Organization, who congratulated the finalists and acknowledged Aster D M Healthcare’s ongoing efforts to spotl ight the critical role of nurses in healt h hcare.
Commenting on the win, Nurse Maria Victoria Juan said, “As a military nurse from the Philippines, my journey has b een defined by a steadfast commitmen ent to service—whether caring in com bat zones, disaster-stricken areas, or u nderserved communities, and champi oning advocacies on every platform to create positive change.
This recognition reflects not just my ef forts, but also the courage and honor o f the soldiers I proudly serve alongside and the resilience of the Filipino peopl e that inspire me daily.
It is also a tribute to the nurses I repre snent—tireless, selfless, extremely cou rageous individuals in the military an d civilian sectors who put themselves i n harm’s way to save lives and protect others. This honor acknowledges the s acrifices of those who serve under the most challenging conditions and highl ights the boundless potential and dedi cation of our noble profession.”
Maria Victoria Juan, currently a consu ltant at Philippine Army Health Servic es, served as the Chief Nurse of the Phi lippines Army, she was responsible for initiating the first aeromedical evacau ation system in the Armed Forces of th e Philippines (AFP). This system has gr eatly improved survival rates by enabl ing rapid evacuation and early treatm ent of casualties, especially in conflict areas. At the age of 54 years, she joine d an intensive 9-month long aeromed ical evacuation training program whi le working full-time as a chief nurse.
As a leader who believes in leading fr om the front, she completed 200-hours of emergency ambulance conduction, 100 hours of clinical duty, 1-mile ocean swim, 3-day jungle survival, helicopter underwater escape and flight medical runs, while having a fear of flying and deepwater swimming. Maria also pion eered environmental health initiative s, integrating vetiver grass technology to combat soil erosion and water pollu tion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Maria organized the Endurun Mega Sw abbing Center, training troops as medi cal swabbers and coordinating health care professionals. The center conduc ted nearly 500,000 tests, significantly c ontributing to the country’s pandemic response.
Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare said, “Maria Vict oria Juan represents the highest stand ards of nursing excellence and serves as an inspiration to the entire global h ealthcare community. At Aster, we bel ieve that nurses are the backbone of h ealthcare, who not only provide care w ith compassion but play an exemplary role in the whole healthcare system. T he Aster Guardians Global Nursing Aw ards were established to honour the of ten-overlooked contributions of nurse s worldwide who go above and beyond to impact lives. Each of the top 10 final ists, and the 78,000 applications we rec eived this year have showcased outsta nding contributions to their patients a nd the nursing community in their cou ntries. We are proud to recognize and celebrate the incredible work of these healthcare heroes.”
Ms. Alisha Moopen, Deputy Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare India sa id, “Nurses are the quiet forces of heal ing, often working tirelessly and with hout fanfare to make a real difference in people’s lives. With the Aster Guard ians Global Nursing Awards, our goal is to bring their remarkable stories to the forefront and give them the recogn ition they truly deserve. Maria Victor ia Juan is a shining example of courag ge, skill, and compassion – qualities th at elevate healthcare and inspire us a ll. Celebrating their achievements is a reminder of the immense impact nur ses have on individuals, families, and communities everywhere.”
The rest of the 9 finalists, Archimedes Motari from Kenya, Johnsy Inni from P apua New Guinea, Laarni Conlu Flore ncio from USA, Lilian Nuwabaine from Uganda, Nelson Bautista from UAE, Nil ima Pradeepkumar Rane from India, M artin Schiavenato from USA, Hoi Sh u Yin from Singapore and Sylvia May Hampton from England were also awa rded with a monetary prize for their contributions in nursing.
These nurses were selected through a stringent review process run by Ernst & Young LLP, a panel of Screening-Jury and the Grand Jury.
About Aster DM Healthcare Limited, I ndia
Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest healthcare service provide rs operating in India with a strong pre sence across primary, secondary, terti ary, and quaternary healthcare throug h 19 hospitals, 13 clinics, 217 pharmaci es (Operated by Alfaone Retail Pharma cies Private Limited under brand licen e from Aster), and 243 labs and patient experience centers across 5 states in I ndia, delivering a simple yet strong pr omise to different stakeholders: “We’ll treat you well.” Aster has been recogni zed as one of the most sustainable com panies globally, with 9 hospitals featur ed in Newsweek magazine’s World’s Be st Hospitals list for 2024.
About Aster DM Healthcare FZC in GC C
Founded in 1987 by Dr. Azad Moopen, Aster DM Healthcare is a leading integ rated healthcare provider, with a stro ng presence across all six countries in the GCC. Aster is committed to the visi on of providing accessible and high-qu ality healthcare, from primary to quat ernary services, with its promise of “We will treat you well”. The organisat ion’s robust integrated healthcare mod el includes 16 hospitals, 121 clinics, an d 306 pharmacies in GCC serving all se gments of the society through three dif ferentiated brands: Aster, Medcare an d Access. Aster consistently adapts to meet the evolving needs of patients, e nsuring access to quality healthcare th rough both physical and digital channe ls which is exemplified with the launc h of the region’s first healthcare sup er app, myAster.