Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Director General of the World HealthOrganisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, has announced five candidates for the position of WHORegional Director for the Western Pacific for the term 2024-2029, with a candidate fromVietnam - Associate Professor Dr. Tran Thi Giang Huong.
Previously, Vietnamese Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan officially sent aletter to the WHO Director General nominating Huong for the position. This is the first time that Vietnam has acandidate for this important position of WHO.
Huong, born 1968, is an expert in public health and global health with morethan 32 years of experience, holding many important positions in the healthsector such as Director of the Health Ministry’s International CooperationDepartment, Chair of ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting onHealth Development (SOMHD) in the term of 2014-2016, Chair of APEC Health Working Group (2011 - 2012 and 2017 - 2018), AlternateMember of the WHO Executive Board, World Health Assembly (2016 - 2019). FromJuly 2019 to now, Huong is Director of the Disease Control Programmes ofthe WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific.
The doctor has made important and effective contributions to thecause of public health care and internationalintegration of Vietnam’s health sector, enhancing the role andposition of the health sector in the region and in the world.
As Director of the Disease Control Programmes of the WHO RegionalOffice for the Western Pacific, Huong has made important contributions to theprevention and control of COVID-19, infectious and non-communicable diseases, theimprovement of mentalhealth and the elimination of malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion andneglected tropical diseases. She also contributed to the implementationof the expanded vaccination programme and many other public health programmes.
According to WHO regulations, the candidates will conduct consultations with Member States and then a secret voting will be held to nominate the next Regional Director in a closed meeting during the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific takingplace from October 16-20 this year in Manila, the Philippines.
The other candidates for the position are Dr Song Li, proposed by China; Dr Susan Mercado, proposed by the Philippines; Dr Jimmie Rodgers, proposed by Solomon Islands; and Saia Ma’u Piukala, proposed by Tonga./.
