PH Seeks Top WHO Position In Western Pacific With Nomination Of Public Health Specialist
03 August 2018 – The Philippines has nominated a well-respected Filipino physician and public health specialist as its candidate for the top position of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region, who was included in the official list of nominees recently released by the organization.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that the WHO has announced the inclusion of Dr. Susan Mercado, Special Envoy for Global Health Initiatives, in the official list of nominees for the position of WHO Western Pacific Regional Director.
Dr. Mercado is a well-respected physician and leader of public health in the country and in the region. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of the Philippines with a degree in AB Philosophy, and obtained her Doctor of Medicine and Masters in Public Health degrees from the same university. She was Undersecretary and Chief of Staff of the Department of Health, and has served the WHO for more than 15 years.
“The acceptance of Dr. Susan P. Mercado’s nomination by the WHO is proof of her expertise and experience in the field of public health, which was evident when President Rodrigo Duterte appointed her as Special Envoy this year. We wish her all the best in her candidature,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said.
“The Philippine Mission to the United Nations in Geneva shares the excitement of Dr. Mercado in the campaign process, and hopes that the next Western Pacific Regional Director of WHO will come from the Philippines,” Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Evan P. Garcia stated.
The election for the new Western Pacific Director will be during the WHO’s Regional Consultative Meetings of the Western Pacific to be held in Manila in October 2018.
Dr. Mercado is one of the four nominees for the position. Other nominees are from Malaysia, Japan and New Zealand.
“As the Philippine candidate, I am campaigning on a platform of responsiveness and empowerment. I believe that being approachable and accessible is the key to effective leadership. You cannot lead if you cannot listen. I believe that the foundation for leadership in a multilateral agency is respecting that each member state—regardless of size or socio-economic status has the authority to identify its own priorities and chart its own destiny,” she said.
Dr. Mercado’s checkered career is marked with stints at WHO’s Regional Office for Western Pacific (WPRO) as Director for Noncommunicable Diseases and Health through the Life-Course, where she led teams of international public health experts who work closely with governments in 37 countries and areas across Asia and the Pacific.
She also acted as WPRO Regional Adviser for Health Promotion, as well as Team Leader of the WPRO’s Tobacco Free Initiative. She also served as Team Leader for Urban Health Equity of the WHO Kobe Center in Japan.
Because of this and due to her appointment by President Duterte, she was able to reach out to WHO member states and learn from them how the WHO can improve.
“WHO can do a better job in enabling self-determination and creating new spaces in public health discourse and governance where member states can freely discuss how best to effectively optimize and share resources in ways that are culturally appropriate and sensitive to local contexts,” Dr. Mercado said.
"There are multiple solutions to the health problems we face, and more of our time and attention should go to linking solutions to problems through inclusive dialogue and engagement. I believe there is a straightforward, efficient and, ultimately, simple approach: We must do it together, and we must do it today,” Dr. Mercado concluded. END