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    • News
    • WHO Election

    Q&A: WHO candidate Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

    Director-general candidate Tedros of Ethiopia says he would begin reforming the World Health Organization by listening to concerns and assessing priorities. Member states should up their funding commitment if they want a real decision-making power in the organization's future, he tells Devex.

    By Sam Loewenberg // 19 January 2017

    As health minister of Ethiopia, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saw the impact of disease outbreaks and poor health care firsthand. He witnessed how malaria could devastate an agricultural workforce and leave crops unharvested. “It was really mind boggling, and for me it was unacceptable,” he recalled. During his tenure, he set out to overcome some of his country’s greatest health challenges and saw dramatic gains in indicators such as child and maternal health.

    Now as a candidate for the World Health Organization’s director-generalship, Tedros seeks to take his efforts global. Ethiopia’s candidate has won the endorsement of the African Union’s executive council and is the only prospective leader from the continent.

    In an interview with Devex, Tedros said his experience in Ethiopia has grounded his belief in building strong health systems as well as pushing for universal coverage. He promised to prioritize WHO’s role in global health, while also seeking input and consultation about how the organization can be reformed.

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    • Global Health
    • Institutional Development
    • Ethiopia
    • Geneva, Switzerland
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    About the author

    • Sam Loewenberg

      Sam Loewenberg

      Sam Loewenberg is a journalist who covers the intersection of global health, business, government and politics. He has done research on global health and public policy at Harvard University as a fellow at the Nieman Foundation and at the Safra Center for Ethics, and at Columbia as a Knight-Bagehot fellow. His work has appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Scientific American, Health Affairs, Playboy, and The Lancet, as well as on PBS. His website is www.samloewenberg.com.

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