Tanzanian national Faustine Ndugulile has been appointed as the Regional Director of the World Health Organization for Africa

Dr. Faustine Ndugulile of Tanzania was elected as the Regional Director for Africa of the World Health Organization (WHO) at the ongoing session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, on Tuesday.

He managed to defeat candidates from Rwanda, Niger, and Senegal, receiving 25 out of 46 ballots. He received the backing of 25 African nations, including Kenya.

At the session, Dr. Ndugulile, a former deputy minister of Health in Tanzania, will succeed Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti of Botswana, whose two five-year mandates are expected to conclude.

The medical specialist, Dr. Ndugulile, has a wealth of experience in public health and specializes in microbiology.

In his campaigns for the position, he stated that his priorities include the enhancement of maternal and child health, the reinforcement of health security, innovation, and research, and the transformation of African health systems to attain universal health coverage.

A collective endeavor to alter the health landscape of Africa is embodied by my candidacy. According to his previous statement to The EastAfrican, he had prioritized maternal and infant health and universal health coverage.

He also declared his intention to fortify partnerships between health institutions and African administrations.

The necessity of enhancing the service index for universal health coverage, which is currently below 50% in numerous African countries, was emphasized by Dr. Ndugulile.

The current Member of Parliament for Kigamboni Constituency in Dar es Salaam is Dr. Ndugulile, who also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Health and HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and NEAPACOH.