(Endorsement) Why results and temperament matter for the leader of the WHO
By Giorgio Roscigno
In two weeks’ time Ministers of Health of the countries of the world will elect a new Director General for WHO. This is unprecedented opportunity for global health. It has been closely followed from Brazil to New Zealand, Norway to South Africa, and China to Vanuatu. The new Director General of WHO will undoubtedly shape and influence global health. There are three candidates vying for the position. Ethiopia’s Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Pakistan’s Dr Sania Nishtar and UK’s Dr David Nabarro.
My thirty years’ career on global health spans from serving as medical officer in the public health trenches of Asia and Africa, researcher and drug developer in the pharmaceutical industry, to an executive in global health initiatives and now as a social entrepreneur. I was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (https://www.tballiance.org), Foundation for Innovative and New Diagnostics (https://www.finddx.org) and served as chief operating officer of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (http://www.aslm.org) and I now serve as Chairman of Next2People Foundation (http://www.next2people.org).
Throughout my career I have witnessed the crucial role of WHO’s Director Generals in moulding global health agenda and engagement of critical global health actors, and influencing impact. But most importantly the Director General should play an important leading role in bringing together the international health care community — from within the WHO bureaucracy to the external stakeholders, Governments, foundations, NGOs and patients and rally them around a common vision and goal. A vision that should revolutionise WHO and health care on an international scale and make us all safe.
I believe of the three nominees left only one candidate stands exceptionally to the challenge — Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia. His track record of results and innovation both globally and nationally, and his vision crafted for WHO (www.drtedros.com) makes him the right candidate to lead the WHO as its next Director General.
I have the privilege to work with Dr Tedros when he was State Minister of Health from 2003–2005 and Minister of Health of Ethiopia during a critical window of change from 2005–2012. He was the chief architect of Ethiopia’s comprehensive health reform agenda. Through his innovative leadership, Dr. Tedros oversaw the initiation and implementation of the reform by investing in critical health infrastructure, building the health workforce and developing innovative new funding mechanisms. His flagship initiative, the Health Extension Programme has expanded access to care to tens of millions Ethiopians and help to achieve ambitious health targets and set Ethiopia on a path to sustain and expand this success. Dr. Tedros has also served in prominent leadership roles for a number of influential global health organizations, leaving an indelible mark on global efforts to tackle our most pressing health challenges.
Apart from these grand achievements what is very much amazing is his personality, which really speaks to his humanity in volumes. He is the kind of person that tend to know everyone by name and remembers details of past conversations. He cares whether your mother is doing better or whether your kids are back in school. He is a keen listener and always available to listen your concern and find a prompt solution. He is famously known for providing his mobile number to newly graduated medical doctors assigned for rural attachment and addressed their problems even in the middle of the night as part of his scheme to motivate young medical doctors. As Minister of Health and Foreign Affairs, he opened his office to all staff regardless of their position to talk to him regularly on any issues they wish to. As Don McNeil of the New York times recently said ‘ he is not as instinctually wary as many diplomats’. He is also known for straight taking. He will tell you what is right and what is wrong, and what is possible and what is impossible. What best describe him is that he does not believe in status quo.
I truly believe Dr Tedros has not only the track record of making results , the right mix of experience, expertise and vision for WHO but also the right personal qualities, approach and temperament to be the next leader of WHO.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Giorgio Roscigno is a citizen of Italy. He has started his career a medical researcher and drug developer in the pharmaceutical industry and has more than 30 years of experience of executive leadership in global health initiatives. This post originally appeared HERE: http://bit.ly/2qoicsF.
You can read more about Dr. Tedros and his vision for a healthy world as #NextDG at his website: http://www.drtedros.com/ — and follow along with his campaign on social media at Facebook.com/DrTedros.Official and on Twitter at @DrTedros. Sign up for the campaign’s newsletter `From the Desk of Dr. Tedros’ at http://bit.ly/2nGWtLm.
