After a gap of over four decades, an Indian has bagged the top post of the WHO South-East Asia Region at an election held on Thursday during the ongoing meeting of the Health Ministers of the 11 countries from the region.
This is for the first time also that any woman has been nominated to this post in the region.A former IAS officer, Poonam Khetrapal Singh who is presently an advisor, (international health) in the Union Health Ministry has also till recently held the post of the deputy regional director with the WHO South-East Asia Region from 2000 to 2013.
She served as the principal advisor to the regional director who provided him managerial, technical and programmatic support for WHO’s programmes. She was also member of the cabinet of the director general in Geneva.
The election of the regional director is an opportunity to strengthen India’s commitment to perform its role in health and development with the WHO as a key partner, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said soon after her name was announced for the post.
He said, “Poonam Khetrapal Singh is an acknowledged public health specialist and administrator with vast experience and recognition in the UN system. She would be able to contribute to regional as well as global initiatives.”
Khetrapal Singh will serve the term for next five years. The 32-member WHO Executive Board is expected to appoint Khetrapal Singh as regional director in Geneva in January 2014. She is expected to take office at the regional office in New Delhi, on February1, 2014, said a senior official in the Union Health Ministry.
India had last occupied the Regional Director WHO SEARO post in 1948-68. The present incumbent Samlee Plianbangchang is from Thailand and has served for 10 years now. It was a close contest for Khetrapal as Bangladesh and Mayanmar had also fielded their candidates for the prestigious post.
Sources said, among 11 member countries, India’s candidate won by six votes while Mayanmar’s bagged three and Bangladesh contestant got two.The South-East Asian region of the WHO comprises of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri lanka, Maldives, Timor leste and Korea besides India.