PETALING JAYA: Malaysian public health practitioner and epidemiologist Dr Dhesi Baha Raja (pix) will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday after he was selected to present his Zika-predicting mobile application to world leaders and policymakers. The 32-year-old medical practitioner said that when he first started out in public health, people would often tell him that there was no future in public healthcare. He also urged more medical practitioners to take up the challenge and to enter public health. Last month, Dr Dhesi was invited by the Brazilian Government to develop a preliminary pilot programme for stakeholders and clinics in Rio de Janeiro and its surrounding areas. In July, Dr Dhesi was recognised by Harvard University, along with AIME Inc co-founder Rainier Mallol, as among the top young health innovators, for developing the app.

Source: The Star September 20, 2016 10:41 UTC