Africa: WHO Director-Basic Dr. Tedros Honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award in Public Well being

Lusaka, Zambia — In recognition of his unwavering dedication to advancing international well being and his transformative management throughout unprecedented crises, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-Basic of the World Well being Group (WHO), was bestowed with the distinguished 2023 CPHIA Lifetime Achievement Award in Public Well being. This accolade was offered on the  Worldwide Convention on Public Well being in Africa convention, being held in Lusaka, Zambia.

The award acknowledges Dr. Tedros’s unwavering dedication to advancing international well being and his transformative management throughout unprecedented crises.

Africa CDC’s Director Basic, Dr. Jean Kasaye, lauded Dr. Tedros’s transformative management, highlighting his capability to navigate intricate international well being challenges with resilience and foresight. He emphasised Dr. Tedros’ unwavering dedication to healthcare accessibility, fairness, and combating rising well being threats, which has profoundly impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands worldwide. Dr. Tedros performed a pivotal function in establishing the Africa CDC. His vocal assist, as Ethiopia’s Minister of Well being in 2013, contributed to the African Union’s Particular Summit on HIV, TB, and Malaria (ATM) declaration in Abuja, recognizing the necessity for an Africa Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC).

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Tedros stated {that a} wholesome Africa is the bedrock of the continent’s growth, peace, and stability. He urged African nations to harness their sources and spend money on strengthening their well being sectors.

The 2021 CPHIA Lifetime Achievement Award in Public Well being was bestowed upon Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, recognizing his groundbreaking contributions to Ebola analysis.  The CPHIA Lifetime Achievement Award is essentially the most prestigious award given by CPHIA, the African Union’s official platform for continental collaboration and coverage dialogue on public well being. The award is given to a person who has made important contributions to the development of public well being in Africa.

Dr. Tedros, the “Father of Africa CDC”

Elected as WHO Director-Basic in 2017, Dr. Tedros turned the primary particular person from Africa to steer the world’s main public well being company. He delivered to this function a wealth of expertise in healthcare coverage and a deep-seated perception within the significance of accessible and reasonably priced healthcare for all.

As Ethiopia’s Minister of Well being from 2005 to 2012, Dr. Tedros spearheaded a complete reform of the nation’s well being system, laying the muse for common well being protection and increasing entry to important healthcare companies even in distant areas.

In his subsequent function as Ethiopia’s Minister of Overseas Affairs from 2012 to 2016, Dr. Tedros elevated well being as a central situation on the worldwide political agenda. He performed a pivotal function in negotiating the Addis Ababa Motion Agenda, a landmark settlement that dedicated 193 international locations to offering the mandatory financing to realize the Sustainable Improvement Objectives, together with these associated to well being.

All through his profession, Dr. Tedros persistently championed well being fairness, advocating for insurance policies and applications that handle disparities in healthcare entry and outcomes.  Previous to his WHO management, Dr. Tedros held quite a few international well being management positions, together with Chair of the International Fund to Battle AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Chair of the Roll Again Malaria Partnership, and Co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, New child and Baby Well being Board.

Main the Approach By way of Well being Emergencies

Dr. Tedros’s management was notably essential throughout instances of well being emergencies. He emphasised the significance of fortifying well being methods to successfully reply to crises, directing WHO’s sources and a spotlight in direction of preparedness and response methods. This method was evident in WHO’s dealing with of the COVID-19 pandemic and varied Ebola outbreaks, the place his steerage helped to mitigate the affect of those devastating well being crises.