Former Ethiopian Health Minister Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been elected the new Director-General of the World Health Organisation, an election keenly watched by pro-health and patient advocacy groups.
Nominated by the Ethiopian government, Dr Tedros as he is reportedly known as, will take charge this July, for a five-year term in office. He takes over from Dr Margaret Chan, who in her two-term stint since January 2007 oversaw global public health crises such as H1N1 (swine flu) and Ebola, more recently.
The election is the first where all WHO member states participated in the voting process. And from five candidates, the list narrowed down to three contendors, selected by the WHO Executive Board in January. They included the UK's Dr David Nabarro and Pakistan's Dr Sania Nishtar.
Challenges gone by & up ahead
The outgoing chief Dr Chan will be remembered for pushing hard on WHO's anti-tobacco campaigns to keep out industry lobbies. Australia's plain-packaging campaign, where cigarettes are packaged in dull-coloured wraps sans branding, was one such that had her support. But her term in office has not been without its critics, with questions being asked on the handling of H1N1 in her first term or, more recently, on existing efforts to tackle the Ebola virus.
In fact, the new man at the helm will have to tackle challenges such as the spread of the Zika virus and Ebola, alongside existing public health concerns including Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, to name a few.
Multi-government efforts are underway for newer vaccines, even as pro-health groups seek to keep the pharma industry from pushing their agenda, and this is the fine line the WHO will have to carefully tread. The access to medicines versus intellectual property discussions also cross paths with the WHO's agenda, as it directly impacts the health of citizens across the globe.
An India-based health expert points to financing challenges facing the WHO as a result of the squeeze on donor funds. This could even lead to retrenchment, besides seeing a redirecting of funds to programmes depending on donor preferences, he observes.
Personal record
On a personal note, Dr Tedros has worn different hats including that of Ethiopia's Foreign Affairs Minister (2012-2016) and Health Minister (2005-2012). He has also served as chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; as chair of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Board, and as co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
The DG-elect had “led a comprehensive reform effort of the country's health system, including the expansion of the country’s health infrastructure, creating 3,500 health centres and 16,000 health posts, expanded the health workforce by 38,000 health extension workers, and initiated financing mechanisms to expand health insurance coverage,” a WHO note said after he was elected.
But the new chief also has his critics and foreign media reports link him to cover-ups of the cholera epidemic in his country to prevent international isolation, a charge he has denied.
The attention though will now shift to the priorities that the WHO chalks out to steer public health across the globe, as its first chief from Africa readies to take charge in little over a month from now.