Exclusive: WHO top official set to leave amid senior management shake-up
Dr. Ren Minghui is expected to leave the World Health Organization at the end of November, Devex has learned.
Minghui, a Chinese national, is currently assistant director-general for universal health coverage, and communicable and noncommunicable diseases. He’s been with WHO for more than six years, and has taken on big responsibilities during his time with the organization. Before his current position, he served as WHO assistant director-general for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases. Prior to WHO, he was director-general for international cooperation at the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China.
His forthcoming departure comes amid expected changes in WHO’s senior leadership team, as Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus embarks on his second term as WHO director-general.
Tedros' reelection coincides with WHO financing overhaul
In his post-election remarks, Tedros thanked member states for reelecting him to the post, but also for taking up the issue of sustainable financing of WHO.
WHO did not comment on Minghui’s departure or who will replace him. But in an email to Devex, a spokesperson said, “The WHO senior leadership team will be undergoing some changes as we go into this next period and additional information will be shared in due course.”
It’s common for WHO director-generals to make changes — when Tedros came to office, he introduced major changes in WHO’s senior management structure. And during his first term in office, several of his senior officials left, including Michèle Boccoz, who’s now French ambassador to the Philippines, and Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, who served as Tedros' chef de cabinet until 2021.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
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