Indian-origin nurse Agimol Pradeep wins $250,000 award for coordinating organ donation, transplantation among South Asians in UK

Indian-origin nurse, Agimol Pradeep, from the United Kingdom, on Saturday, won the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2026. Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan presented the cash prize of $250,000 (₹2.38 crore) to the nurse at an event held in Kochi.

Agimol's contribution in organ donation and transplantation within the UK’s South Asian community led her to the award. “I have seen how a shortage of ethnically matched donors can leave patients from minority communities waiting longer for a life-saving transplant,” she said. She works as a Senior Transplant Coordinator at King’s College Hospital, London, and as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Salford, UK.

She said that she considers the award as an opportunity “to take a lifetime of work further.” She added, “Half of the prize will support Upahaar and my mission to give more patients with organ failure and blood cancer a chance at life, by expanding organ and stem-cell donation and taking this work to communities and countries where it is most needed.”

Upahaar is a charitable organisation aiming to increase the awareness of organ donation among South Asian community. Agimol co-founded the Upahaar initiative to identify the disproportionate impact of donor shortages on South Asian patients. The initiative has more than 10,000 stem cell donors registered.

‘There is a scarcity of 6 million nurses’

Satheesan in his address highlighted the need to increase the nursing workforce. He said, “The director-general of World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that there is a scarcity of 6 million nurses. We have also planned to increase the number of nurses in Kerala because healthcare is our priority.”

The Global Nursing awardee reiterated the Chief Minister’s comment on the nursing workforce. “I have seen how systemic barriers can prevent highly skilled nurses from returning to the profession,” she said. She also said she wants to invest in nursing education and training to help empower more nurses to become changemakers.

It is learnt that the organisers of the event received over 1,34,000 registrations from nurses across 214 countries, from whom 10 finalists were selected. Nations including India, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, China, Colombia, Namibia, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea were represented through the finalists.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also congratulated the finalists and recognised the importance of the award through his video message.

Aster DM Quality Care Ltd Executive Director Alisha Moopen said, “Stories of our top 10 finalists demonstrate that nurses are not only essential to delivering healthcare; they are shaping how healthcare evolves.” The Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award was first launched in 2021. It aims to bring together stories of nurses working across different healthcare settings, communities and disciplines, to signify the impact of nursing.