Высшее руководство Aspen Pharmacare назначено почетным полковником военного госпиталя ЮАР

A senior executive at a leading South African healthcare company has been appointed as the honorary colonel of 1 Military Hospital (1 Mil). Dr Stavros Nicolaou, Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited Group Senior Executive, took up the post and rank on 25 August when outgoing Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Ntshavheni Maphaha, appointed him. SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) Corporate Communication reports the honorary colonel appointment as an indicator of the importance of strengthened partnerships between military health and the wider South African healthcare sector. Evidence of the Aspen/SAMHS partnership came ahead of Nicolaou’s investiture when the SAMHS command order group called on Aspen headquarters in Sandton’s Woodmead for a stakeholder engagement. Apart from partnerships the visit saw research initiative co-operation and SAMHS community outreach programmes seen as critical in addressing emerging health challenges and extending healthcare support to surrounding communities also on the table. Nicolaou, according to SAMHS, brings extensive experience in healthcare leadership, industry and strategic advisory roles to the military medical service in general and specifically its flagship healthcare facility. In the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) honorary colonels are a conduit to foster, maintain or renew civilian local and regional connections of goodwill and support to services, formations, bases and/or units. Speaking after confirmation of his appointment, Nicolaou is reported as saying military health is often overlooked and only receives widespread attention during times of crisis. “People tend to forget about it and only realise its importance when there is a pandemic or crisis. It is during such times that military health suddenly comes to the forefront and people recognise just how important it is,” he said adding the appointment was a privilege. “The only thing I want to do is play some role in promoting the defence force, more specifically SAMHS, in the broader South African community, particularly the business community.” Nicolaou brings over 30 years of experience to 1 Mil and has been recognised as the Global Top 100 Health Edition Honourees Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in Healthcare, received Greece’s ARGO Public Service award in 2023 and the International Federation of Pharmacists IPS Medal for 2024 for Outstanding Contributions in Industrial Pharmacy. He is a previous winner of the SA Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) Healthcare Marketer of the year Award, has been inducted as a fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa and was elected as an honorary member of the Southern African Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis. In May he was again honoured, this time by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with that country’s Order of Merit (Third Degree) for his part in what the commendation has as “a significant personal contribution to the strengthening of interstate co-operation, support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, charitable activities and the popularisation of the Ukrainian state internationally”.