WHO cancels Mugabe’s goodwill ambassador role after worldwide outcry
THE World Health Organisation yesterday withdrew its decision to appoint Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe president, as a goodwill ambassador, following widespread criticism from donors, human rights groups and several medical organisations. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recently appointed WHO director-general, said: “Over the last few days, I have reflected on my appointment.
“As a result, I have decided to rescind the appointment. I have listened carefully to all who have expressed their concerns, and heard the different issues that they have raised.”
Mr Mugabe, 93, who has led Zimbabwe since independence from the UK in 1980, took an expensive charter flight from Harare to Uruguay last week to attend WHO’S Global Conference on non-communicable disease. When bestowing the honour, Dr Tedros called Zimbabwe “a country that places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide healthcare to all”.
The Government expressed its dismay at the honour bestowed by WHO, the UN’S healthcare branch, and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, said the appointment was “absolutely unacceptable and inconceivable”.
The Wellcome Trust, the World Heart Federation and several Zimbabwean doctors and human rights groups protested against the decision, which has turned into a public relations disaster for Dr Tedros, an Ethiopian who had pledged to reform the organisation.
The announcement of Mr Mugabe’s appointment prompted outrage from Zimbabweans, who suffer under the country’s lack of medical facilities. Mr Mugabe’s policies obliterated the healthcare system, once the best in Africa, to a point where there are virtually no medical facilities in the decrepit state hospitals. Mr Mugabe does not seek medical treatment in Zimbabwe but travels about three times a year to consult doctors in Singapore. Dr Mark Sonderup, vice- chairman of the huge South African Medical Association, said he had been shocked at Mr Mugabe’s appointment: “If this is the UN’S benchmark, it renders any further appointments or honours by the UN as pointless.”
Violet Gonda, a popular Zimbabwean commentator and broadcaster, tweeted: “So they dish out accolades without fact-checking. Collapse of education and healthcare is his legacy.”
Tendai Biti, a leading opposition politician and former finance minister in Zimbabwe’s inclusive government, said: “What was the WHO doing appointing a tinpot dictator like Mugabe in the first place? There is no water at our main hospital today, let alone drugs for patients. We have had 37 horrible years with Mugabe in power.”