The World Health Organization’s emergencies program was created to help provide rapid response to countries in the case of outbreaks and health emergencies. It was established in the aftermath of the West African Ebola outbreak, where the agency was heavily criticized for being slow in responding to the crisis.
But almost a decade since its creation, says the man who will be leading the program starting June 16, the program also needs to evolve.
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who will be replacing Dr. Mike Ryan, said there’s now an increasing number of national public health agencies with the responsibility to lead work on emergencies. As countries lead on the front lines, WHO could retreat into a capacity-building role, providing training and equipment.