Ethiopia's Tedros Ghebreyesus is new WHO chief

Geneva [Switzerland], May 24 (ANI): A former Ethiopian health minister, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been elected the new Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO). The Ethiopian Government had nominated Dr Ghebreyesus and he will begin his five-year term on July 1. Prior to his election as WHO's next Director-General, Dr Ghebreyesus served as Foreign Affairs Minister of Ethiopia from 2012-2016 and as Health Minister from 2005-2012. He has also served as chair of the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as chair of the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership Board, and as co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. Dr Ghebreyesus, while being a health minister, led a comprehensive reform effort of the country's health system, including the expansion of the country's health infrastructure, creating 3500 health centres and 16 000 health posts; expanded the health workforce by 38, 000 health extension workers; and initiated financing mechanisms to expand health insurance coverage. He also led the effort to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, in which 193 countries committed to the financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. As Chair of the Global Fund and of RBM, Dr Ghebreyesus secured record funding for the two organizations and created the Global Malaria Action Plan, which expanded RBM's reach beyond Africa to Asia and Latin America. Dr Ghebreyesus will succeed Dr Margaret Chan, who has been WHO's Director-General since 1 January 2007. (ANI)