13 April 2004, Kampala -- The out-going WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim M. Samba has advised whoever takes over from to continue the "hard work, be credible, transparent and confident". He said this early April in Uganda while attending the International Summit on Nutrition and Food Security.

"Whoever takes over must continue to build the confidence and trust in and outside Africa and must be a credible leader," said Dr Samba, 76, who retires later this year. " Your are going to be compared with me and your will either do well, badly or better" he said adding that "I hope the new person will do better, Africa expects that of you."

Dr Samba, whose public health career spans over 40 years, is arguably the leading Public Health person in Africa. He has been WHO Regional Director since 1995 and prior to that he was Director of the multi-million dollar Onchocerciasis Control Programm (OCP) based in Ouagadougou for 15 years.

Commenting on his work as Regional Director, Dr Samba mentioned raising extra-budgetary funds, raising staff morale, improving relationship with headquarters and excellent collaboration with partners outside Africa as his most outstanding achievements.

He reported that in the African Region, extra budgetary resources have increased as much as 100 times in some programmes. For instance on immunization, Dr Samba led the fund raising drive that enabled the implementation of National Immunization Days against polio in countries of the WHO African region. Today, the disease has disappeared in almost all countries and the continent is well on the way to polio eradication.

Dr Samba reported that today, there is high morale among staff at the Regional Office and in country offices and that working relations of headquarter are excellent. "I promised to deliver on all these, and I have done my best. I have achieved the objectives more than expected. I feel time has come to say goodbye" he said.

He, however, pointed out brain drain as one-problem areas that continue to afflict Africa's health system. "Many qualified people are leaving Africa and it's a complex problem. We are working out a mechanism and also dialoging with partners so that we retain and even attract back our qualified people," he added.

Dr Samba also talked about medical research in Africa pointing out that it is still very poor. He noted that although WHO is not "a super body" it however tries to support weak areas like research. Poverty, he said, is "predicated against us in Africa in many areas"

Turning to the media, Dr Samba referred to them as "privileged partners" in the fight against diseases in Africa. He advised health workers to always involve the media in their activities. "It is through the media that we get to the people we want reach and to others we work with' he noted. He specifically called on the media to be involved the fight against malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis. They should also be used to advocate for good nutrition, good housing and prevention of road traffic accidents.

On the contentious issue to DDT spraying Dr Samba advised that the drug should :only be used for in-door spraying and exclusively for malaria control. DDT for spraying water bodies is discouraged, he said.

Dr Samba also commented on the 3 by 5 strategy and assured Africa that the antiretroviral drugs are going to come. "The drugs may be slow in arriving but they will come. We only need to be patient" he said. He added that at this moment, "let us prepare because we need more than drugs to implement 3 by 5".

It is on that note that he commended effort by the Ugandan government to undertake a national HIV sero-surveillance survey that will determine HIV infection in the population. He however advised that the survey should enjoy full confidentiality for patients and other people involved. "I salute Uganda for undertaking this important step" he said.

For further information:

For more information, please contact 
Dr Oladapo Walker, WHO Representative 
or Mr. Benjamin Sensasi, WHO Information Officer

P.O. box 24578 
Kampala 
Uganda 

Tel. 256-41-335500 Fax 256-41-335569 

e-mails: walkero [at] who.imul.com or sensasi [at] who.imul.com