Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, the vice-chairperson of the Board of Governors and chairman of Executive Committee of Sidra Medical and Research Center, has been admitted to the UK’s Order of Merit for outstanding contributions to medicine. 
The Order of Merit is considered the UK’s highest honour as recipients are selected directly by the head of state, The Queen, and are limited to only 24 living members. Selections are made to recognise exceptional services towards the advancement of the arts, learning, literature and science.
Upon accepting the honour, Lord Darzi joins an impressive group of accomplished peers who have received the highest level of national recognition, including the renowned English naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough; Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing; and former US president, Dwight D Eisenhower. 
Lord Darzi said: “I am deeply privileged to receive this prestigious national honour from Her Majesty The Queen. It is a great reflection of all the wonderfully talented people and colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with over the years across the United Kingdom, Qatar and also further afield.’’
In January 2014, Lord Darzi was awarded the Qatari Sash of Independence by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in recognition of his contribution to Qatar’s health sector. The Sash of Independence is awarded only to senior members of government, as well as to Qatari citizens and to foreigners for their exceptional services to the country.
Sidra’s leadership team joined in recognising Lord Darzi’s many achievements in improving healthcare globally and is honoured to have him as part of the world-leading team working to realise Sidra’s mission of delivering exceptional women and children services for Qatar.