- Since July 1, 2017, Dr. Tedros Adhanom has served as Director General of the WHO.
- He made history by being the first Ethiopian to hold that position.
- To date, many of his detractors have questioned his performance at the head of the highest health authority.
From May 22 to 28, the most important annual meeting in the world in health matters takes place. It is an event attended by authorities from all over the planet to discuss issues that affect the lives of the entire world population. While today, during the meeting, important news was announced. The Dr. Tedros Adhanom was re-elected as WHO director to continue in office until 2027.
In this sense, it must be remembered that the WHO was founded on April 7, 1948 with the aim of managing prevention, promotion and intervention policies at a global level in health issues. It also focuses on the physical, mental and social aspects to ensure that a person or individuals are in good condition.
While its relevance can now be seen more clearly. It has been the authority that has been in charge of publicizing the recommendations for the control and management of the Covid-19 pandemic. For its part, each of the countries has the freedom to choose whether to follow the instructions or not.
In the same way, at the moment he is facing two other health problems that generate multiple doubts. On the one hand, there is childhood hepatitis of unknown origin, whose mode of transmission has not been determined. In addition, there is also the monkeypox that continues to spread throughout Europe and America.
Academic and professional training of Tedros Adhanom
In this sense, it is necessary to remember that since July 1, 2017 it is directed by Tedros Adhanom. He is a biologist with a background in infectious disease immunology, as well as being a public health researcher. He also made history because he became the first Ethiopian to hold that position.
He has also carried out research on malaria and has a doctorate from the University of Nottingham in community health. He led the organization Global Fundwhose objective is to collect and distribute funds to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
For his part, each director of the WHO has the right to remain in the position for a cycle of five years and has the possibility of requesting re-election.
In this case, the Dr. Tedros Adhanom was reelected as director of the WHO to remain for another five years. In this way, it will be at the WHO Assembly in 2027 when his successor is appointed.
Humbled & honored to be elected to serve a 2nd term as @QUIEN Managing Director. I’m deeply grateful for the trust & confidence of Member States. I thank all #healthworkers & my @QUIEN colleagues around the 🌍. I look forward to continuing our journey together. #ProudToBeWHO #WHA75 pic.twitter.com/1L0GwkRKbc
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 24, 2022
Performance during your administration
Now, since before this decision was announced, there were several opinions about what was most convenient. It is clear that the most complicated moment has been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a fact that was not forecast and so far it remains active although it is going down in most countries.
Part of the displeasure of those who oppose Dr. Tedros is due to the delay of the director of the WHO to decree the global health emergency. Had it happened earlier, perhaps the impact would have been slightly less.
The lukewarm position of the organization to promote a fair distribution of vaccines. To date, most low-income countries have received a minimal number of doses. The COVAX mechanism that was created for this purpose has completely failed.