Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh re-elected as Regional Director

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh was unanimously re-elected as World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia for another five-year term beginning February 2019.

• She was re-elected by 11 member states of the Region during elections held at the ongoing Regional Committee meeting of WHO South-East Asia.
• With this, India has retained top WHO position in South-East Asia Region.

About Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh:

• She had served as a civil servant in India, as member of the Indian Administrative Services for over two decades.
• She was the Health Secretary of Punjab.
• Dr Khetrapal Singh's ongoing first term as WHO Regional Director South-East Asia had started on 1 February 2014.
• It had made her the first woman to have been elected to the position of Regional Director.
• Prior to her WHO career, she had served in the health sector in various senior positions during her stint in the IAS and in World Bank.
• She also worked in WHO Director-General's cabinet in Geneva, as Executive Director of Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments in WHO headquarters and was the Deputy Regional Director WHO South-East Asia Region from 2000-2013.

About WHO South East Asia Region:

• It was established in 1948 and was the first of its six regions.
• It has 11 Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste.
• It provides leadership on health matters, articulates evidence-based policy options, provides technical support to countries and monitors health trends in the region.
• It also fosters collaborative efforts of WHO for improving the health of the people in the region.

Question:

Q. Who was unanimously re-elected as World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia for another five-year term beginning February 2019?
a. Dr. Poornima Khetrapal Singh
b. Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh
c. Dr. Pooja Khetrapal Singh
d. None of the above