Being the head of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program is a tough job, but someone's got to do it. In a recent statement by the WHO themselves, it has been revealed that Peter Salama, a veteran in the field, will be taking over from Bruce Aylward.
Salama is set to take charge come July 27 of this year. Currently, he is the UNICEF regional director for Middle East and North Africa as well as the global emergency coordinator for the crises in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. He also has previous experience working with the Center for Disease Control in the United States and also with Doctors Without Borders, according to a report by Intellectual Property Watch.
Aside from being an expert epidemiologist, Salama has also been working in public health for the past 20 years. This amount of experience will definitely be of much help for him to cope with the pressures that come with his upcoming role.
Under his upcoming regime, it is expected that Salama and his team will be able to provide immediate healthcare and assistance to those who need it the most in the quickest possible manner. The official press statement from the World Health Organization states, "WHO's new Health Emergencies Program is designed to deliver rapid, predictable and comprehensive support to countries and communities as they prepare for, face or recover from emergencies caused by any type of hazard to human health, whether disease outbreaks, natural or man-made disasters or conflicts."
Salama will hopefully be a catalyst in turning around what was considered by many as a poor WHO that could only muster an egregious effort to combat the Ebola outbreak, which happened last year. Hopefully, he can also help turn around the misfortune of over 69 million people from mostly impoverished countries who are considered as being at risk, per reports from DW.
