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A woman in charge of World Health Organization |
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Written by Staff Reporters
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Dr Margaret Chan of China has taken office as Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) following her election in November 2006.
She has pledged that her term of office and the effectiveness of the Organization would be judged by the impact these on two specific populations – women and people from Africa. “I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations, women and the people of Africa. WHO has a long history of commitment to those in greatest need, including the most vulnerable groups,” said Chan.
According to Iain Simpson of WHO Communications Department, Chan has set out six priority areas on which she intends to focus: development for health, health security, building the capacity of health systems, developing better information and knowledge, enhancing partnerships and improving the performance of the WHO.
According to Chan, one of the key challenges facing WHO is to 'manage all this vigorous interest in health in ways that ensure lasting improvements and do not overburden recipient countries'.
She stated that WHO, as the acknowledged leader in public health, needs to ensure that the growing number of health initiatives meets comprehensive health needs, in a coordinated way, in line with the priorities of countries and their populations
Chan was appointed by the World Health Assembly in November 2006 and her term of office will run until 30 June 2012.
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