Candidate elected to lead WHO's Africa office has unexpectedly died

Dr. Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile, who was slated to be the next regional director for the World Health Organization’s Africa office, unexpectedly died on Wednesday while receiving medical treatment in India. Ndugulile, a career politician from Tanzania, was elected to serve in this role by African health ministers in August during their annual convening in Brazzaville. It’s a five-year term, which can be served twice. He was set to replace Dr. Matshidiso Moeti in February, who will have served in this role for two terms. Moeti wrote that she was “deeply saddened and shocked” by the news of his passing, calling it “an immense loss.” Ndugulile, who was born in 1969, has served in the Tanzanian Parliament since 2010, as former deputy health minister and former minister for communications and ICT. He also formerly worked in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in South Africa and in Tanzania’s Ministry of Health. He had degrees in medicine and public health. Among the three other candidates for the job of leading WHO’s regional office for Africa, he had the most political experience. During his candidacy, he argued that his decades-long political career set him apart from the others because he understands the pressures health ministers face and the support they need from WHO. He had already started meeting with stakeholders in his role as regional director elect. “May his legacy inspire us to continue striving for a healthier, more resilient future,” wrote Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. At the time of publishing, WHO hadn’t responded to Devex’s request for comment on what happens next with the posting and whether African health ministers will need to hold a special meeting for another election in the coming months.