On 7 June 2022, H.E. Mr. Chittipat Tongprasroeth and spouse hosted a Vin d’Honneur in honour of Dr. Bernard Pécoul, Founder and Executive Director of Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) and the Prince Mahidol Award Laureate 2020 in the field of Public Health, and spouse at the Royal Thai Embassy in Bern. The event was attended by DNDi’s executives and staff as well as the diplomatic corps in Bern and representatives of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Office of Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and the Swiss media. The Deputy Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations in Geneva also attended the event.

During the reception, a VDO presentation introducing the Prince Mahidol Award, Dr. Pécoul, and the Award Ceremony which was held in January 2022 in Bangkok and presided over by H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Chairman, Board of Trustees and President of the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, was shown. The Thai Ambassador then delivered his remarks emphasizing the importance of the Award, which was founded in honour of H.R.H. Prince Mahidol of Songkhla, “Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health of Thailand”. He also praised Dr. Pécoul and DNDi for their tireless dedication to bringing effective cures to patients of neglected diseases around the world, especially those in least developed and developing countries, including Thailand, helping to save millions of lives. Dr. Pécoul also gave brief remarks expressing his deep appreciation for the Award and to H.R.H. Prince Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who graciously presented him with the Award. He reaffirmed that this Award would serve not only as a source of pride and honour for him and his family, but also a great encouragement for him and his colleagues at DNDi to continue their commendable work for the benefit of mankind. He also recalled his fond memory of Thailand, the country in which he spent the first 2 years of his medical profession.

Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative or DNDi is a not-for-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 2003 by Dr. Bernard Pécoul, who recognized that many diseases (such as malaria, dengue, and hepatitis C) were largely overlooked by pharmaceutical industry, resulting in the lack of effective and affordable treatments for patients of these diseases, especially, in less developed areas of the world with substandard public health infrastructure and leading to the loss of many lives. DNDi’s mission is to work with partners in all sectors to bridge this gap on research and development for drugs of neglected diseases. Thus far, DNDi has delivered 8 treatments and aims to deliver further 16 treatments of neglected diseases within 2023.