The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently appointed Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti as the new Regional Director for WHO’s Africa Region (WHO AFRO) succeeding Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, who had served as Regional Director for the last 10 year...
As the Ebola outbreak escalated over the last year, the WHO was criticized for its initial handling of the outbreak. Several commentators suggested that the WHO underestimated the outbreak, expected the overwhelmed governments of the affected countries to handle it themselves and, when it finally did take charge, lacked the capacity to do so effectively. There have been about 14,000 confirmed Ebola cases and 8,500 deaths.
During her acceptance speech, Dr. Moeti vowed to improve the WHO’s response to the outbreak. In an interview, she stated an intention to recruit more people to increase the capacity of the WHO. She also welcomed a resolution that is intended to improve the WHO’s ability to respond in emergencies.
Africa carries a disproportionate burden of the world’s health challenges. We therefore need a WHO Regional Office on the continent that will go beyond issuing guidance documents and policy frameworks to leading in advocating for resources to be placed in the areas of most need, both internally within the organisation and in the countries where WHO works
In an interview shortly after her appointment, she is quoted as saying that one of her goals is to make the African country offices more accountable and staffed with people hired on merit, not political promises; the region’s past issues with nepotism, she insists, are “history.”
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