On 15 June 2000, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in London awarded its prestigious Donald Mackay Medal to an eminent child and adolescent health specialist, Dr James Tulloch, one of the outstanding medical experts at World Health Organization (WHO) over the last 15 years.

The award bears the name of a tropical medicine practitioner, Dr Donald Mackay. He devoted most of his life to treating tropical diseases, before spending several years caring for tea plantation workers in South Asia.

Dr James Tulloch, who is well known for his dedication to the cause of the children in developing countries, has remained faithful to the commitments of his youth. Shortly after qualifying, as a young Australian physician, he travelled to London determined to become an orthophaedic surgeon. Before he began his studies he came across the association "Save The Children". This encounter was to prove decisive for the course of his career. His work in Iraqi Kurdistan, in Vietnam, in Papua New Guinea and above all in Bangladesh deeply transformed his vision and his understanding of medicine.

In his message to thank those who awarded him the distinction, he said:" When I agreed to work in Bangladesh, I was not driven by any desire to save the world, but was rather looking for adventure. The three years I spent on Bhola Island were to profoundly change my outlook on medicine and the direction of my life more generally. It set me on a course that has taken me back to the field, to East Timor."

Among his numerous achievements at WHO, the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) has unquestionably done the most for his reputation. Dr Tulloch made a major contribution to its design and to the implementation of a global strategy to achieve a drastic reduction in infant mortality, which was responsible for the death of more than 11 million children per year in the developing countries. Pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria, measles and malnutrition are the main causes of death, especially among the under fives.

The six regional offices of WHO, together with more than 60 countries around the world, have now adopted IMCI as the basic health system for the promotion of child health. Technical support is provided to help train and inform partners involved with children in the medical, social and community spheres.

At the request of the special Representative of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello, and with the Agreement of Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director–General of WHO, Dr Tulloch has been given the full responsibility for setting up the overall health infrastructure in East Timor and for supervising and organizing health services.

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