WHO Honors Egyptian Burn Care Pioneer Heba El Sewedy With Groundbreaking Global Award

Egyptian physician Heba El Sewedy has become the first Arab woman to receive the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General’s Award, a prestigious honor recognizing her groundbreaking work in burn care and humanitarian medicine. The award was presented during the opening of the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, underscoring the global impact of her Ahl Masr Foundation and its affiliated Burn Hospital.

The WHO cited El Sewedy’s leadership in transforming burn survival rates in Egypt, where Ahl Masr Hospital—launched in 2024 as Africa and the Middle East’s first free specialized burn treatment facility—has increased critical burn case survival from 20% to 84%. The hospital, with a 60-bed capacity, has also reduced permanent disability rates to approximately 10%, marking a paradigm shift in regional healthcare outcomes.

El Sewedy’s achievements extend beyond medical innovation. The hospital pioneered natural skin graft procedures in Egypt and is collaborating with the country’s Health Ministry to expand burn care through a telemedicine network across governorates. The WHO award ceremony, attended by Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, highlighted the hospital’s role in developing Egypt’s first national burn treatment strategy—a decade-long initiative aimed at standardizing care and improving service quality.

“This award represents international validation of our mission to provide specialized and integrated care for burn victims,” El Sewedy stated. “We remain committed to expanding our medical and humanitarian partnerships to ensure no patient is left without access to life-saving treatment.”

The recognition follows El Sewedy’s previous accolades, including the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice and honors from the Arab League for her humanitarian contributions. Her work at Ahl Masr Hospital has positioned Egypt as a regional leader in burn care, with the WHO praising the institution’s model for combining clinical excellence with scalable public health strategies.

As the 79th World Health Assembly convenes, El Sewedy’s award serves as a testament to Egypt’s growing influence in global health innovation. The national burn care strategy, developed in collaboration with the WHO and Egypt’s Health Council, is poised to set new benchmarks for trauma treatment in low- and middle-income countries.