Nurse Wins Global Award & Cash Prize After Saving 50 Kenyan Babies

A local hospital in Kenya with nurses attending to admitted patients
A local hospital in Kenya with nurses attending to admitted patients on June 2019.
Photo
Health Tribune

Ryan Turner from Windsor, UK, received the 2023 International Ceca Award recognising his nursing excellence that saved over 50 newborn babies in Kenya.

In a recognition feature shared on Tuesday, May 30, by a UK publication, Turner worked for only six months at Mutomo, Kitui County, where he transformed the lives of the locals through his compassionate nursing skills.

At a hospital in Kitui, Turner specialised in helping other medics working in the maternity and newborn unit. There, he put his pediatric experience to the test, where he was tasked with helping babies born prematurely or those taken ill in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Ryan Turner receiving the international Ceca Award in New York City on May 2023
Ryan Turner receiving the international Ceca Award in New York City on May 2023.
Ceca Foundation

At Mutomo, Turner helped deliver 15 babies independently and provided medical assistance to save over 50 others battling various life-threatening illnesses.

Besides helping newborns, Turner provided care to over 350 women from Mutomo and the vast Kitui County, which helped transform their lives.

He also trained the local medics on using advanced technologies to address some of the health challenges in the area. Outside work, he participated in community empowerment programmes.

After his impact, he received the 2023 International Ceca Award at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Turner received a winner's plaque and a cash Ceca Award of Ksh123,000 (USD 1,000).

"I came to the conclusion internally that even if I was there for six months, and I make one person smile and I can make somebody’s day, that was worth it for me," Turner told a UK publication on Tuesday, May 30, on receiving the award.

He promised to use his Catholic Medical Mission Board company to reach out to various communities facing different health complications.

Nurses With Global Impact President Patricia Sayers lauded Turner, indicating that he had helped transform Mutomo village.

"In an enthusiastic show of appreciation, the people of Mutomo, Kenya, hosted a community-wide celebration for Turner — reportedly the largest on record for any nurse volunteering with the Catholic Medical Mission Board in its 110-year history," President Patricia stated.

Ryan Turner receiving the international Ceca Award in New York City on May 2023
Ryan Turner receiving the international Ceca Award in New York City on May 2023.
Photo
Greeley Tribune