New Leader, New Era: Five Building Blocks For A Reinvigorated World Health Organization

The World Health Assembly’s election of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to serve as its 9th Director-General may be the most momentous in the Organization’s 70 years for reasons far beyond electing the first African. The World Health Organization (WHO) faces a crisis in confidence following its anemic response to Ebola. It remains caught in an unvirtuous cycle: Member State loss of trust results in a paucity of funding and the continual inability to perform. This is a moment to take stock of the new Director-General’s record and vision, as well as the reforms needed to transform WHO into the 21st century institution the world sorely needs. The Director-General’s Record Dr. Tedros’s record reflects a contrast between high hopes and genuine concerns. As Health Minister, he transformed the Ethiopian health system. The Health Extension Program created more than 35,000 community health workers. He pioneered health worker training, with a tenfold increase in medical school enrollment. Few African countries kept the Abuja Declaration pledge to devote 15 percent of their budget to health. But Ethiopia exceeded that financing target. He also secured significant international financing, with 41 percent of Ethiopia’s health expenditures coming from foreign assistance in 2012, his last year as health minister. Ethiopia achieved stunning success in child mortality and maternal mortality under his stewardship, with approximately 60 percent reductions from 2000 to 2015. Consequently...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Featured Global Health Policy Millennium Development Goals UNAIDS World Health Organization Source Type: blogs