Three vie for top job in WHO’s first poll

Governing body made up of 194 member states breaks from tradition of pre-selected candidate

ABritish physician, an Ethiopian former health minister and a Pakistani expert in non-communicable diseases are the three finalists vying for the top job at the World Health Organisation in its first-ever election on Tuesday.

For the first time, WHO’s governing body made up of 194 member states will choose from three candidates — not one pre-selected by its executive board, as in past years.

Many are looking for further reform at WHO after the decade-long tenure of Dr Margaret Chan, a politically savvy native of Hong Kong whose tenure nonetheless has been blighted by a flawed response to the Ebola outbreak in three West African countries that killed more than 11,000 people.

Here’s a look at the candidates for the next five-year term starting on July 1:

The British physician led the UN response to some of the biggest health crises in recent years, including bird flu and Ebola. Although he has years of experience dealing with outbreaks, critics say his decades of work at WHO make him too much of an insider and that he may be unable to introduce radical change.

David Nabarro:

A former health minister from Ethiopia, he would be the first WHO director-general from Africa. Ghebreyesus is credited with expanding Ethiopia’s health system and helping introduce initiatives that cut malaria deaths. The only non-medical doctor in the running, he has also been dogged by allegations that he covered up cholera outbreaks during his administratio.

A Pakistani doctor, she has worked on noncommunicable diseases for years and once served as a government minister responsible for issues including health, science and information technology. Unlike her competitors, Nishtar has little experience with outbreaks.

Sania Nishtar: