The new director general of the World Health Organization, Dr. Jong-Wook Lee, has vowed to provide 3 million people in developing countries with antiretroviral drugs by 2005.
Figure. Lee: a promise to get things done Photo by: WHO
Lee, an assistant director general under WHO's previous leader, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, has followed his predecessor's lead by announcing a slate of new officials to help WHO “do the right things in the right places.”
“In recent years, WHO's resources have become increasingly concentrated in Geneva,” Lee says. “Concentration has enabled much excellent work at headquarters, yet there has been a gradual drift away from programs based on countries' needs toward programs driven by headquarters' priorities.”
Lee, a South Korean, has worked at WHO for 20 years and is known for his administrative skills. He used to head WHO's Stop TB Program.
His work in some of the world's poorest nations has obviously affected his outlook. During his inaugural speech, he commented: “We must scale up an integrated global HIV/AIDS strategy linking prevention, care and treatment, [and] prioritizing poor and underserviced areas.”
Lee also intends to stress tuberculosis and malaria control, and the need to improve maternal and child health. He also says WHO must be ready for new threats.
“The SARS crisis illustrated WHO's essential role in coordinating the international response to infectious disease outbreaks. SARS also revealed weaknesses in global disease surveillance. We will strengthen the support and coordination functions of the global outbreak alert and response network.”
American David Heymann, executive director of WHO's Communicable Diseases Program and a key spokesperson during the SARS epidemic, was one of the officials replaced by Lee. The program is now led by Anarfi Asamoa-Baah of Ghana. Lee retained only 2 of WHO's 9 assistant directors general; Canadian Tim Evans, formerly with the Rockefeller Foundation, will head WHO's Evidence and Information for Policy cluster.
The British Medical Journal (2003; 326:1100-1) says Lee faces a much different task than his predecessor, Brundtland.
“Unlike Brundtland, Lee is not being charged with saving the organization but with harnessing its potential to transform the lives of the poorest.” — Steve Wharry, CMAJ