WHO welcomes Dr Bisoborwa as Acting Representative
MBABANE – A new World Health boss unveiled in Eswatini. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday received Dr. Geoffrey Bisoborwa as the new Acting WHO Representative, taking over from Dr. Cornelia Atsyor who held the realms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Geoffrey Bisoborwa, a Ugandan national possesses more than 20 years of progressive Public Health experience spanning from District Health Services Management through National to International level health management and leadership. Before his assignment to Eswatini, Dr. Bisaborwa has been working as a Team Leader for Child and Adolescent Health at the WHO Regional Office for Africa based in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Earlier he served as Acting Director for Universal Health Coverage/Life Course Cluster, providing leadership and stewardship to WHO Regional Africa for Africa programmes responsible for: Health strategies and Governance; Health Financing; Health workforce, Health Information systems, Medicines health infrastructure, and equipment, as well as and the life course programmes of the reproductive maternal newborn child and adolescent health, and ageing.
The acting representative has vast experience in supporting countries to advance Universal Health Coverage through Primary Health approach, management of health emergencies including continuity in the delivery of essential health services, and integrated service delivery along the life course, especially to vulnerable populations of women, newborns, children and adolescents.
He holds a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Degree from Makerere University, Uganda, and other qualifications in health management and leadership. During a welcome ceremony held at the WHO offices on Thursday, Dr. Bisoborwa pledged to assist in providing a leadership role to the WHO Eswatini team and the Government of Eswatini (Ministry of Health) as it provides services to the people of Eswatini towards achieving Universal Health Coverage alongside the Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Bisaborwa has already been introduced to the Ministry of Health and is yet to meet other stakeholders in the health sector. Atsyor, a Ghanaian national, has retired from the organisation at the age of 62 after heading the local office for the past three years. Dr. Atsyor joined WHO Eswatini in 2019, a year before the country and the rest of the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been with WHO for over 13 years, working in different countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Seychelles, and Lesotho. She led the country office in its quest to provide technical support to the Ministry of Health in response to the pandemic.
Challenges seen during the COVID-19 response included a significant increase in the number of people infected by COVID-19 needing hospitalisation, limited oxygen supply, an increased need for human resources, especially those with critical care skills, and limited intensive care beds. These challenges stretched the capacity of the Eswatini health system and contributed to the increase in the number of deaths due to COVID-19.
WHO, through the office of the Representative, swiftly responded to the Ministry of Health’s plea to engage critical care professionals from the Regional Office in Brazzaville (AFRO). The WHO Regional Office sent into the country over 30 health professionals to build capacity within the local team.