UK-Malayali wins top nursing award

KOCHI: UK-based nurse Agimol Pradeep has won the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026, becoming the recipient of the USD 250,000 prize after being selected from more than 1.34 lakh registrations across 214 countries and economies.

Agimol, a Senior Transplant Coordinator at King’s College Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer at Salford University, received the award at a ceremony held in Kochi on Saturday.

Noting that healthcare remained a priority for the state as Keralam sought to position itself as a global health destination, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the government was planning an international-standard syllabus for caregivers and would direct colleges and major hospitals to introduce caregiving courses.

“The award is a recognition of the fact that the state produces the highest number of nurses not just to India but globally and hence one will always find a Malayali nurse even in the remotest hospital in any part of the world.”

The Kottayam native was recognised for her work in organ and stem-cell donation, nursing education and efforts to address barriers faced by internationally trained nurses. After identifying the impact of donor shortages on South Asian patients awaiting transplants, she co-founded Upahaar initiative, which has registered over 10,000 stem-cell donors.