Khairy elected as vice president for upcoming 75th World Health Assembly

KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was today nominated as the vice president of the upcoming 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) which will take place from May 22 to 28, 2022 in Geneva.

Khairy in a statement posted on Twitter said the voice of the Western Pacific will be brought to the world assembly and expressed his gratitude for the unanimous nomination as vice president.

"Thank you to all the @WHOWPRO countries for unanimously nominating Malaysia as vice president for the WHA 2022. We will bring the voice of the Western Pacific to the world assembly especially on the principles of equity, solidarity and accountability," he said.

Meanhwile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said it is indeed a great honour for Malaysia to be accorded the vice presidency of WHA and that this will be the opportunity to pursue a bigger role in the global health arena.

"Today I am pleased to announce that at the 72nd World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee Meeting for the Western Pacific Region (WPR) in Himeji Japan, Minister of Health Malaysia, Khairy Jamaluddin has been unanimously nominated by Western Pacific member states as the vice president of the upcoming 75th WHA.

"WHA compromises of 194 member states and it is the highest decision-making body of WHO. Malaysia was given due recognition for its active role on the global health platform in the 69th WHA in 2015 and again in the upcoming 75th WHA in 2022 representing all 37 member states from WPR," he said in a statement posted on Facebook today.

He added that Malaysia is also coincidentally serving on the executive board of WHO from 2021 to 2024.

-- BERNAMA