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The Ministry of Health was yesterday bestowed with the auspicious Sergio Arouca Award, an accolade which comes in recognition of the entity’s excellent delivery of universal health care.The award, which was presented by Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Representative, Dr. Beverly Barnett, was received by Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.Guyana was selected for the award in consideration of its efforts to improve the health care system of the country in spite of limited available resources, particularly in the Integrated Management of Adolescent and Adult Illness (IMAI) Programme.  The IMAI operates under the Disease Control Programme of the Ministry of Health and has been implemented in at least 246 health posts and health centres, covering more than 90 per cent of the population.From left: Dr. Marcia Paltoo, Director of Adolescent Health; Ms. Niebert Tucker, Acting Director of Chronic Diseases (holding certificate of honour); Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Minister of Health; Dr. Beverly Barnett, PAHO/WHO Representative and PAHO’s Dr. Rosalinda Hernandez.The Sergio Arouca Award for Excellence in Universal Health Care was created in 2010 in honour of Dr. Sergio Arouca, a Brazilian national, public health professional and legislator. It was premised on the notion that “Providing universal health care that guarantees access to quality medical care for all citizens of a country requires a strong underlying structure that delivers services efficiently and equitably. It puts the health of its people first, regardless of an individual’s economic or social situation.”Throughout his career, Dr. Arouca championed innovative public health practices and was elected to the Brazilian National Congress as a federal representative of the state of Rio de Janeiro.In recognition of the outstanding legacy of Dr. Arouca, the award which acknowledges the importance of universal health care and its impact on the peoples of the Americas,  was created by the Secretary of Health in Brazil and the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF), in cooperation with PAHO.  It is part of the Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health programme, a joint programme of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).The PAHEF had earlier accepted nominations for programmes, institutions, or individuals that have contributed to expanding access to universal, high-quality health care, especially primary care, in one or more of the following: a) the development of a policy and/or national strategy of health for all;  b) the promotion of health programmes that have made considerable advances in increasing the coverage and quality of care;  c) improving the effectiveness of the management of health systems; d) the development of policies and/or health and ethical legislation in the framework of a national health structure; e) innovative programmes that target socially-excluded and geographically-disadvantaged populations; f) innovatively-designed programmes in the field of education and formalized training of health care workers with the aim of expanding universal health care; g) efficacy in efforts to interest communities in the planning, management, and appraisal of health programmes; and h) the preparation and execution of relevant research on primary health systems.The award also aims to encourage dedication to the highest standards of study and professionalism and consists of a cash prize, certificate of honour, and a symbolic representation of the award. The awardee is invited to attend the annual meeting of the PAHO Directing Council and will be a guest of honour at PAHO/PAHEF’s awards programme event in Washington, DC.In the event an institution or programme is awarded (as in the case of Guyana) one representative will be invited to participate in these activities. The awardee will be able to address ministers of health of the hemisphere, their delegations,Calvin Ridley Jersey, and invited guests of PAHO at Directing Council with a speech on the topic of universal health care.