Africa-Press – Mozambique. TANZANIA’s Professor Mohamed Janabi has been elected a new director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region beating other four contestants who vied for the post.
Professor Janabi takes over the post left by his fellow Tanzanian, Dr Faustine Ndugulile who died in November 2024.
Prior to the election Professor presented seven priorities which he outlined before the Ministers of Health from member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region, seeking their endorsement to be elected as the Regional Director of WHO for Africa.
“If elected, I promise to oversee the improvement of universal health care services in order to achieve sustainable development goals,” said Prof. Janabi, emphasizing that more efforts are needed to reach that goal, as currently only 46 percent of the population in Africa has access to quality health services, while the global target is to reach 68 percent by the year 2030.
Prof. Janabi stated that he will ensure the mobilization of financial resources to fund access to quality health care services.
The third priority he outlined is to continue strengthening member states’ preparedness to respond to health emergencies and disasters.
Prof. Janabi also emphasized improving maternal and child health services, as well as nutrition. He revealed that Africa accounts for 70 percent of global maternal deaths and 56 percen of newborn deaths worldwide.
The fifth priority he outlined is placing more emphasis on combating infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, as well as non-communicable diseases and neglected tropical diseases. He noted that the burden of disease in Africa contributes significantly to the continent’s economic stagnation.
Sixth, he stated that he will lead efforts to tackle the challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
“There are over 1.2 million deaths occurring globally each year due to AMR, and still 40% of African countries lack regulatory systems to manage and control the growth of this crisis,” said Prof. Janabi.
Prof. Janabi concluded with the seventh priority, stating that he will strengthen the production of health products, including medicines, medical equipment and devices, and vaccines within the African continent.
He emphasized the importance of WHO African member states uniting in addressing the challenges of healthcare access, research, and the development of the health sector across Africa.
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