Filipino nurse wins global nursing award for leading life-saving military evacuation system

Nurse Maria Victoria Juan was a young child when her aunt, a military nurse, died of gunshot wounds while on her way to a mission. However, that didn’t stop her from becoming a military nurse herself. On Thursday, Maria was crowned the winner of a coveted nursing award for spearheading an evacuation system that improved survival rate, especially in conflict areas.

She won the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2024 and was awarded a grant worth more than Dh900,000 at a prestigious award ceremony held in India.

At the age of 54, Maria joined an intensive nine-month aeromedical evacuation training programme while working full-time as a chief nurse. As a leader, she completed 200 hours of emergency ambulance conduct, 100 hours of clinical duty, a one-mile ocean swim, three-day jungle survival, helicopter underwater escape, and flight medical runs. To achieve this, she overcame her fear of flying and deepwater swimming.

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Maria, currently a consultant at Philippine Army Health Services and Colonel, Reserve Force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, served as the Chief Nurse of the Philippine Army and initiated the first aeromedical evacuation system in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This system has greatly improved survival rates by enabling rapid evacuation and early treatment of casualties, especially in conflict areas.

Highest standards

“Maria Victoria Juan represents the highest standards of nursing excellence and inspires the entire global healthcare community,” said Dr Azad Moopen, founder chairman, Aster DM Healthcare. “We believe that nurses are the backbone of healthcare, who not only provide care with compassion but play an exemplary role in the whole healthcare system. Each of the top 10 finalists and the 78,000 applications we received this year have showcased outstanding contributions to their patients and the nursing community in their countries.”

Maria also pioneered environmental health initiatives, integrating vetiver grass technology to combat soil erosion and water pollution. During the Covid pandemic, Maria organised the Endurun Mega Swabbing Center, training troops as medical swabbers and coordinating healthcare professionals. The centre conducted nearly 500,000 tests, significantly contributing to the country’s pandemic response.

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