Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: (born 1965) is an Ethiopian academic, public health authority and politician who has served in the government of Ethiopia as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2012. Previously he was Minister of Health from 2005 to 2012.
Tedros joined the Ministry of Health in 1986, after graduating from the University of Asmara. An internationally recognized malaria researcher, as Minister of Health, Tedros received praise for a number of innovative and system-wide health reforms that substantially improved access to health services and key outcomes. Amongst them were hiring and training roughly 40,000 female health extension workers, cutting infant mortality from 123 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006 to 88 in 2011, and increasing the hiring of health cadres including medical doctors and midwives. In July 2009, he was elected Board Chair of The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for a 2-year term.
In November 2012, Tedros was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. In January 2016 the twenty Sixth Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union has endorsed his candidature for the next election of the Director General of the World Health Organisation as a sole African candidate.
Tedros was born in 1965 in Asmara. As a child, he recalls being "fully cognisant of the needless suffering and deaths" caused by malaria. In 1986 he received his Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Biology from the University of Asmara, and joined the Ministry of Health of the Derg as a junior public health expert.
After the fall of Mengistu Haile Mariam, Tedros returned to university to pursue a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He subsequently received a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Community Health from the University of Nottingham in 2000, with his doctoral dissertation being "The effects of dams on malaria transmission in Tigray Region, northern Ethiopia, and appropriate control measures"
In late 2003 he was appointed a State Minister (deputy minister) for Health and served for just over a year. It was during this time he started crafting his ambitious health reform agenda
Tedros was appointed Minister of Health in October 2005 by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. Despite the many challenges faced by the health ministry in terms of poverty, poor infrastructure, and a declining global economic situation, progress in health indicators was considered "impressive" in Ethiopia. During the period 2005-2008, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health built 4,000 health centres, trained and deployed more than 30,000 health extension workers, and developed a new cadre of hospital management professionals. Furthermore, in 2010, Ethiopia was chosen by the US State Department as one of the US Global Health Initiative Plus countries, where the US will support innovative global health efforts.
Upon assuming office in 2005, Tedros inherited a ministry with a strong vision but little capability to meet that vision. The Ministry was somewhat beholden to a donor community that was focused on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and malaria programs when Tedros first assumed his leadership position with a diagonal, systems-based reform agenda. With little economic surplus, the country lacked capacity to build its own health systems, and much of the Ethiopian human resources for health had fled the country- for example, there are more Ethiopian doctors in the Chicago metropolitan area than in Ethiopia. Tedros designed the health workforce "flooding" reform strategy that has resulted in the training and deployment of thousands of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technologists and health officers. He is particularly recognized for his innovative efforts that improve the working environment and motivation of medica doctors.
As Minister of Health, Tedros was able to form a close relationship with most global health key players including former American president Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation .This ground for the Clinton -Ministry of Health Partnership was built on engagement of equal partners. Tedros brought to the partnership the leadership to sustain focus on the selected agenda, the political clout to facilitate enabling legislation as needed, and first-hand knowledge of what was needed. President Clinton and the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) brought to the partnership a commitment to assist Tedros’ priorities and their network, which provided sources money, expertise, and credibility. As a result, Tedros was able to restructure and reform the Ministry in order to better meet its goals.
During his time as Minister of Health of Ethiopia Tedros has been very active in global health initiatives and left a print of his influence in the wider area of the global health architecture. Ethiopia was the first country to sign compact with the International Health Partnership. He has served as Chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (2007-2009), Programme Coordinating Board of UNAIDS (2009-2010) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (2009-2011) and Co-Chair of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (2005-2009). He also served as member of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) Board as well as the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board. He was also member of several academic and global health think tanks including the Aspen Institute and Harvard School of Public Health. He has also served as vice-president of the 60th World Health Assembly that was held on 14-23 May 2007.
Tedros was elected as Board Chair of the Global Fund in July 2009 for a two years term. In a profile published in April 2010, the Lancet reported that Tedros was “a household name at the Global Fund Secretariat” before his election as Board Chair where his leadership was regularly cited at the Global Fund that resulted in Ethiopia to be named as an exemplary high-performing country.
In his acceptance speech he said ’The honor of this overwhelming vote of support belongs to my country, Ethiopia, which I am very privileged to represent. I am deeply humbled by this election and recognize well the weight of the responsibilities that come with it. The Global Fund faces big challenges ahead. But I am also optimistic about the great opportunities we now have for ensuring that this unique and innovative organization continues to be a success over the coming years”.
During his tenure Dr Tedros has guided the Global Fund to address significant challenges and to make important decisions that has led to the development of a comprehensive reform agenda and a more efficient and effective Global Fund. The Board has acknowledged his outstanding leadership role in its decision point at the end of his tenure saying " He has served the Global Fund with high degree of commitment and Passion. He has led with commitment and determination a comprhensive reform agenda".
Ethiopia has been noted by the UN as one of the "success stories" in terms of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Three of the eight MDGs, goals four through six, deal directly with health:
- Reducing child mortality rates,
- Improving maternal health,
- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
Maternal and Child Health
The rate of child deaths fell by 30 percent between 2005 and 2011. Infant mortality decreased by 23 percent, from 77 to 59 deaths per 1,000 births, while under-five mortality decreased by 28 percent, from 123 to 88 per 1,000 births. The number of expectant mothers who delivered with the help of a skilled provider rose from 6 percent in 2005 to 10 percent in 2011, according to the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey.
Tuberculosis
During Tedros' tenure TB prevention and treatment services were included as one of the packages of the Health Extension Workers which has resulted in impressive improvement of performance and the achievement of the TB MDG targets well ahead of the target time.
Malaria
Deaths from malaria fell by more than 50% from 2005-2007. The rate of new malaria admittances fell 54% in the country over the same period, while the number of childhood malaria cases reported at clinics fell by 60%. The Health Ministry conducted the distribution of 20.5 million insecticide-treated bed nets to protect over 10 million families in malaria-prone areas between 2005 and 2008.
AIDS
Under Tedros, the Ministry of Health was able to turn around Ethiopia’s record of the highest number of new HIV infections in Africa, taking the number down dramatically. The prevalence was reduced from its double digit record to 4.2 in cities and 0.6 in rural areas. According to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Office (HAPCO) said the rate of HIV infection in Ethiopia has declined by 90% between 2002 and 2012, while the rate AIDS-related death has dropped by 53%. The number of people starting HIV treatment increased more than 150-fold during 2005-2008.
The decline in the infection rate has been attributed to the concerted effort of the Ministry of Health in providing medicines and organizing various awareness raising programs.The office has managed to integrate the people in HIV prevention and control activities. The wide range of media campaigns to inform the public about the disease has definitely paid off as it has helped achieve behavioral change. Prevention measures like the use of condoms have shot up starkly with increased awareness on the disease and advertising urging safe sex practices and condom use.The government’s collaboration with local and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations has also positively influenced access to HIV/AIDS related service centers.
Family planning
Under Tedros' tenure, the unmet need for family planning in Ethiopia has declined, and the contraceptive prevalence rate has doubled in 5 years. Based on the current trends, contraceptive prevalence rates will reach 65% by 2015 by reaching additional 6.2 million women and adolescent girls. Recognising that early childrearing is a major factor in infant mortality, the Ministry of Health is targeting its efforts on adolescent girls (15 to 19 years) who have the highest unmet need for family planning.
No comments:
Post a Comment