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| Africa's Choice Should Head World Health Organization | |
| 2016-09-24 | |
Unless WHO makes a wise choice, the organization will not become what the world needs it to be ‐ a fast-response organization that can actively coordinate health emergencies. Zika is a current example of how local threats quickly become global, but others are inevitable. In addition, the unfinished business of reducing the health consequences of severe poverty - including disastrous rates of infant and child death and of mothers in pregnancy and childbirth - is both a human tragedy and a drag on the global economy. The African region, through the African Union, ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... is backing the candidacy of Dr. Tedros Adhanom of Æthiopia. Here's why. He is minister of foreign affairs and a diplomat with extensive experience and the negotiating skills to craft international agreements. More importantly, as former minister of health, he acquired expertise in global health, accumulated from responding to some of the most devastating diseases of our time. Some have argued that the world body should demonstrate its openness to diversity and change by electing an African as director general. But those who believe the position is too important to be decided on anything other than merit should be equally supportive of Dr. Tedros. During this crucial period for the WHO, the organization needs an administrator of Dr. Tedros' stature. His work leading reforms in organizations such as UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and GAVI, the vaccine alliance, has been exemplary. At the Global Fund, where Dr. Tedros was Board Chair at a critical time for that organization, his leadership was groundbreaking. He helped revitalize an organization that was at the risk of failing into the vibrant agency it is today. The fund's push for accountability in use of resources by recipient countries, while retaining flexibility to be creative, produced progress against disease and set it on the path of securing additional resources. Last week at a meeting in Canada the Global Fund raised a record $13 billion for its work. During three decades, Dr. Tedros has tackled global health, security and development challenges in such global organizations, but he has also operated within government and at the level of local communities, where work is often constrained by limited resources. This depth of experience in varied settings is something the WHO of the 21st century needs. As Æthiopia's minister of health, Dr. Tedros set his country on a road to remarkable health achievements. The country became a trailblazer among low- and middle-income countries, achieving milestones in primary health care. A strong believer in universal health coverage, Tedros supported an innovative health extension worker program, which has engaged 38,000 salaried extension workers and brought health care to the reach of all villages across Æthiopia. Thanks to that program, more than 95 percent of Æthiopia's population has access to primary health care within a distance of 10 kilometers. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 I rather think this is something of a good idea in the long run. Is WHO really anything more than another UN in white coats? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-09-24 12:14 |