On 14 April 2018, in the Staszic Palace took place the ceremony on the 15th anniversary of the Award of Trust ‘Złoty OTIS’ (‘Golden OTIS’). The members of the Chapter also received the awards for long years of support, goodwill and work for the Award. Among the recipients of the special jubilee statuette „Viribus Unitis” was Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, who has been collaborating with the Chapter of the Award from its very beginning.
It is worth mentioning that for Prof. Henryk Skarżyński it is already a second jubilee award „Viribus Unitis”. Formerly, he has received a statuette in 2013, for the 10th anniversary of work uniting the communities of physicians, pharmacists, patients, pharmaceutical companies and media, and for the international cooperation policy.
During these 15 years the Award of Trust ‘Złoty OTIS’ has become a trustworthy social initiative winning the trust of patients, pharmacists, physicians, laboratory diagnosticians, companies and media. First statuettes of the Award of Trust ‘Złoty OTIS 2003’ have been presented in 2004; they were the first consumers’ award on the Polish pharmaceutical market.
In the ceremony of 15th anniversary of the Award participated: the Marshal of the Sejm Dr. Stanisław Karczewski, Deputy Ministers of Health Marcin Czech and Zbigniew Król, Senator Waldemar Kraska, Members of Parliament Beata Małecka – Libera, Lidia Gądek and Tomasz Latos.
This year, the winners of the Award ‘Złoty Otis’ were: Prof. Waldemar Priebe, MD Anderson/Texas (the International Award of Trust) – creator of innovative drugs for leukemia, lymphoma and glioma, Dr. Janusz Meder (Extraordinary Community Worker Physician), Irena Rej (Extraordinary Woman in Polish Pharmacy), Elżbieta Puacz and Katarzyna Urbańska (authors of actions ‘Check the cholesterol level of your child’), Prof. Marek Krawczyk, Prof. Adam Antczak, Prof. Aleksander Prejbisz, Prof. Wojciech Noszczyk, Prof. Jarosław Reguła, Prof. Krzysztof Bielecki, Marek Hilgier (creator of the Summer Academy of Oncology) and others.
‘Złoty OTIS’ is the only consumer award of Polish pharmaceutical market. It is awarded to the best OTC drugs chosen by patients by voting. For many years it has also been awarded to persons and NGOs working on behalf of improving the level of health services in Poland and internationally, to journalists promoting health knowledge and to non-medical companies for undertaking pro-health initiatives.