HÀ NỘI — The Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, has announced five candidates for the position of WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific for the term 2024-2029, with a candidate from Việt Nam – Associate Professor Dr. Trần Thị Giáng Hương.

Previously, Vietnamese Minister of Health Đào Hồng Lan has officially sent a letter to the WHO Director General nominating Hương for the position. This is the first time that Việt Nam has a candidate for this important position of WHO.

Hương, born in 1968, is an expert in public health and global health with more than 32 years of experience, holding many important positions in the health sector such as Director of the Health Ministry’s International Cooperation Department, Chair of ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting on Health Development (SOMHD) in the term of 2014-2016, Chair of APEC Health Working Group (2011-2012 and 2017-2018), Alternate Member of the WHO Executive Board, World Health Assembly (2016-2019). From July 2019 to now, Hương is Director of the Disease Control Programmes of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific.

The doctor has made important and effective contributions to the cause of public health care and international integration of Việt Nam’s health sector, enhancing the role and position of the health sector in the region and in the world.

As Director of the Disease Control Programmes of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Hương has made important contributions to the prevention and control of COVID-19, infectious and non-communicable diseases, the improvement of mental health and the elimination of malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion and neglected tropical diseases. She also contributed to the implementation of the expanded vaccination programme and many other public health programmes.

According to WHO regulations, the candidates will conduct consultations with Member States and then 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 taking place 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. — VNS