Dr. Margaret Chan Becomes WHO Chief

The appointment of Dr. Margaret Chan as the Director-General of the 
World Health Organization (WHO) is a source of enormous pride to all Hong Kong people, according to the Chief Executive, Mr. Donald Tsang. “It certainly makes us feel very proud that we are able to contribute to 
a global organisation as WHO through the work of our Hong Kong person,” he said.

Dr. Chan, a former Director of Health in Hong Kong, is the first Chinese person to head one of the UN institutions. Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post commented in an editorial: “Securing the top job is a great achievement that shows what Hong Kong people are capable of. Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997 has opened up new opportunities.”

Dr Chan got her medical degree at the University of Western Ontario. 
Western’s current dean of medicine, Dr. Carol Herbert, said in a press 
release that “Dr Chan is a perfect choice.” “This is one of the top medical posts in the world, and we’re confident that training she received here, along with her intensive public health experience, will help guide all of us through future health crises, even a pandemic.”

In her acceptance speech at the World Health Assembly, Dr. Chan said: “
What matters most to me is people -- and two specific groups of people 
in particular. I want us to be judged by the impact we have on the health of the people of Africa, and the health of women… Improvements in the health of the people of Africa and the health of women are key indicators of the performance of WHO.”

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