WHO Elects Dr. Ghebreyesus as its New Director-General
BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW AND BERNICE BORN
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 Credit: WHO
edros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Ph.D., took office this July as Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). He succeeds Margaret Chan, M.D., WHO’s director since 2007.
Dr. Ghebreyesus is the first African national to serve as WHO’s Director-General. As Ethiopia’s former health minister, he reformed that nation’s healthcare system, created 3,500 medical centers and increased the medical work force by 38,000 — the vast majority of them women.
“All roads lead to universal coverage. This will be my central priority,” Dr. Ghebreyesus told health ministers at WHO’s annual assembly after his election. During the session, he noted that only half of people today currently have access to health care without risking impoverishment.
Dr. Ghebreyesus’s five top priorities for WHO under his tenure include reacting swiftly to health emergencies, fighting climate change and providing health care to low-resource populations, especially women and children. WiRED International applauds these goals, which it believes go hand in hand with its mission of bringing medical and health education, free of charge, to underserved communities around the world.
Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized that “WHO’s work is about serving people, about serving humanity. It’s about serving people regardless of where they live, be it in developing or developed countries, small islands or big nations, urban or rural settings. It’s about serving people regardless of who they are; poor or rich, displaced or disabled, elderly or the youth. Most importantly, it’s about fighting to ensure the health of people as a basic human right.”
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