Nepal's S. Acharya Confident Ahead of WHO Regional Head Election
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WHO South-East Asia Regional Director election today, Nepal's Shambhu Acharya, confident in his victory chances, seeks to boost regional health roles.
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The election for the new regional director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) South-East Asia Region (SEAR) office is set to take place today. Nepal's candidate, 65-year-old Shambhu Acharya, expressed confidence in winning the race.
Acharya is up against Saima Wazed, the daughter of Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for the influential post. If elected, he would be responsible for leading WHO operations across 11 countries in the region.
With a PhD and decades of experience, Acharya believes he has the strong public health and technical expertise required for the job. He has worked extensively with the WHO previously in various leadership roles managing different health programs.
"I have a whole range of experience that this post would require," said Acharya, citing his background spanning community health, academic research, and roles as a WHO scientist, manager, and director.
The SEAR region faces major health challenges including high disease burdens, malnutrition, and lack of access to healthcare. Acharya aims to view these as opportunities and leverage the region's fast economic growth to invest more in health. He advocates increased budgets, education, lifestyle changes, and enhanced primary care access.
If elected, Acharya plans to engage closely with regional leaders to prioritize health investments. He also aims to collaborate across SEAR countries to exchange best practices and tailored solutions specific to each nation's needs.
According to Acharya, the WHO can provide vital guidelines and policy advice to help governments strengthen public health systems. He believes the region can learn lessons from India's Ayushman Bharat scheme in expanding insurance coverage.
Acknowledging quality issues in lower-level facilities, Acharya recommends boosting the primary care workforce, medicines, and diagnostics in rural areas. With proper strategies, he is hopeful of overcoming challenges posed by low health budgets, corruption, and unscientific medicine use in parts of the region.
The election results today will determine if Acharya's extensive experience and reform proposals are sufficient to convince member countries to elect him as the new WHO South-East Asia Regional Director.