HEALTH Minister Hon. Dr. Billy Joseph has made his historic first official statement as Minister for Health at the 77th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific (RC77) in Manila today, paying glowing tribute to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Dr. Joseph, leading a high-level PNG delegation to the top health decision-making body for 37 countries and 2.2 billion people, told the plenary that Dr. Tedros’ leadership had been tested by the most consequential challenges of our time.
“On behalf of the Government and the people of Papua New Guinea, I would like to pay tribute to Dr. Tedros for his outstanding contribution to global health,” Dr. Joseph said.
“His stewardship of WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the power of multilateral cooperation, scientific leadership and global solidarity.”
Dr. Joseph said initiatives such as the ACT-Accelerator proved that access to life-saving vaccines and treatment should not be determined by wealth, a principle critical for developing nations like PNG.
He said Dr. Tedros’ push for Universal Health Coverage, stronger pandemic preparedness and more predictable WHO financing, and his insistence that WHO must deliver practical support at the frontline – in countries, communities and aid posts – was not abstract for PNG, but a daily reality.
In a powerful moment for the Pacific, Dr. Joseph said Dr. Tedros’ legacy would be remembered for finally giving the Pacific a seat at the top table.
“Under his leadership, we witnessed the appointment of Dr. Saia Ma’u Piukala of Tonga as the first Pacific Islander to serve as Regional Director of the Western Pacific, and the election of a Pacific representative as Vice President of the 78th World Health Assembly in 2025,” he said.
“It affirms that the voices of small island nations and geographically isolated communities have a valued place in global health decision-making.”
“You have reaffirmed that global health must be a shared responsibility where every country, regardless of size or resources, has a meaningful future.”
The RC77 meeting from October 19-22 will set the five-year health roadmap for the region and decide on a K800 million (US$223M) pandemic preparedness package, including the Data-to-Action project which PNG is part of.
Dr. Joseph said PNG was not in Manila as a spectator but as a player to ensure decisions made in Manila become medicine in remote aid posts in Nipa-Kutubu, Telefomin, Goilala and the outer islands.
The PNG delegation includes senior officials from the National Department of Health and the PNG Mission.