Best known for helping guide Toronto through the SARS crisis of 2003,    Sheela Basrur has been honored by prestigious public service award in Ontario.

The Indian origin doctor is now struggling with life-threatening illness.

David Onley, Ontario’s Lieutenant-Governor, awarded her at the Grand River Hospital in a special ceremonial occasion this week in the Kitchener hospital where she is undergoing her latest round of cancer treatment.

Dr. Basrur has been chosen for the this award because of her incredible contribution to raise the health condition of the region and specially to handle SARS outbreak (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in 2003 in Canada and US.

At that time, she was Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and she had served from 2004 to 2006.

Honouring to Dr. Basrur, David Onley praised her and said, “Dr. Basrur has provided inspiring leadership in the face of heavy responsibilities and daunting expectations. She has compiled a truly remarkable record as a talented health professional, and as a committed public servant and Ontarian.”

After getting the award, 51-year-old Basrur told, “It's an incredible honour to receive the Order of Ontario. Like many others in the field of public health, I get tremendous fulfilment working to safeguard the health of the people in this province. I'm humbled at being recognized for doing work that I enjoy.”

The Executive Director of Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Doris Grinspun who was present in the award ceremony admired, “Dr. Basrur is a most worthy recipient for this highest honour in Ontario. Her expertise, humanity and courage make her a formidable professional and an exceptional citizen of our province.”

She also serves as as Medical Officer of Health for 6-years and also served the province as being assistant deputy minister for health.

During her job, she developed and implemented Operation Health Protection, a 3-year action plan to defend and encourage the health of Ontarians after SARS. She assisted make the province's new Ministry of Health Promotion and spearheaded its key steps that includes the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy and the provincial Action Plan for Healthy Eating and Active Living to address rising obesity among Ontarians.

Besides this, she also supervised the merging of 6 public health sections into one with 1,800 staff and an annual operating budget of $160 million, the largest in Canada.

Among Dr. Basrur’s innovations is the DineSafe programmeto awake Torontonians regarding food safety rating of restaurants and other eating establishments.

She also paved the way for a ban on non-essential use of pesticides and for measuring the impact of air pollution on the health of Torontonians.

Dr. Basrur holds honorary doctorates from Ryerson Polytechnic University (2004) and York University (2007), and is an honorary member of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario.