Director of Global Health: Corona has become a preventable and treatable disease

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said in a statement that after the significant increase in deaths related to the Corona virus reported last month, especially from China, the number of hospitalizations and deaths decreased in the past week, with about 10 reported. Thousands of deaths reported to the World Health Organization, which is similar to the number of weekly deaths reported before last month's increase.

He added, we have the necessary tools to save lives and end Corona as a global health emergency this year, stressing: “I said it before, and I will say it again, that 10,000 deaths per week represents a large proportion of a disease that can be prevented and cured, as we know that the reported data to the World Health Organization is undervalued, due to low testing and delays in reporting.

He pointed out that sub-variants of the Omicron mutant will remain dominant globally, and remain a source of concern, due to its increased transmissibility and the fact that all sub-variants can kill. We have the tools necessary to save lives and end Corona as a global health emergency this year. We must continue to Use them all, and use them well.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

Ethiopian politician, academic, and public health activist. Adhanom is considered the first African to hold the position of Director-General of the World Health Organization since July 1, 2017, after he held several positions before that, including the positions of Minister of Health from 2005 to 2012, and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2016 in the Ethiopian government. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.

Tedros joined the Ministry of Health in 1986, after graduating from the University of Asmara. As an internationally recognized malaria researcher and Minister of Health, he has received acclaim for a number of innovative health system-wide reforms that have significantly improved key outcomes and access to health services. These include training and employing nearly 40,000 female health extension workers, reducing the infant mortality rate from 123 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006 to 88 in 2011, and increasing the employment of health personnel, including physician-midwives. In July 2009, he was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for a two-year term.

Tedros was elected Director-General of the World Health Organization by the World Health Assembly on 23 May 2017, becoming the first non-physician Director-General. He took office on July 1, 2017 for a period of five years.

In early 2020, Tedros oversaw the global management of the coronavirus pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China. Tedros ignored the Chinese government's early attempts to suppress information, but instead offered "an outpouring of praise" for the containment effort. He has faced significant criticism for what is seen as an inadequate handling of the pandemic, including the late declaration of a public health emergency of international concern. Negative feedback included a petition calling for his resignation signed by 628,000 through March 28.

Global Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it has six regional offices and 150 field offices worldwide.

The World Health Organization was founded on April 7, 1948. The first meeting of the World Health Assembly, the agency's governing body, took place on July 24 of that year. WHO listed the assets, staff, and duties of the League of Nations Health Organization and the International Hygienic Public Bureau, including the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). It began its work in earnest in 1951 after a large infusion of financial and technical resources.

The mandate of the World Health Organization seeks and includes: to act worldwide to promote health, to keep the world safe, and to serve the vulnerable. It advocates that one billion more people should have access to: universal health care coverage, participate in monitoring public health risks, coordinate responses to health emergencies, and promote health and well-being. It provides technical assistance to countries, sets international health standards, and collects data on global health issues. A publication, The World Health Report, provides assessments of health topics around the world. The World Health Organization also serves as a forum for discussing health issues.

The World Health Organization has played a leading role in many public health achievements, most notably the eradication of smallpox, the nearly eradication of polio, and the development of the Ebola vaccine. Its current priorities include infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, Ebola, COVID-19, malaria, and tuberculosis; Non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and cancer. healthy diet, nutrition and food security; occupational health; and drug use. Its World Health Assembly, the agency's decision-making body, elects and advises an executive board of 34 health professionals. The general manager selects, sets goals and priorities, and approves the budget and activities. The current Director General is Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia.

WHO relies on contributions from Member States (assessed and voluntary) and private donors for funding. Its total approved budget for 2020-2021 is over $7.2 billion, most of which comes from voluntary contributions from Member States. Since the late 20th century, new global health actors such as the World Bank, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and dozens of public-private partnerships for global health have emerged. The WHO's role as coordinator and policy leader in this area has been weakened.