Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change servers in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7127 Volume 316 Letters Saturday 24 January 1998 Candidate for WHO post explains his view further See Who should run WHO Editor The BMJrecently submitted questions to the seven candidates for the position of director general of the World Health Organisation; it published five responses, including mine.(1) The answers to the questions have been abridged, and while I understand the need to do this, I take issue with Fiona Godlee's comments on my candidacy in her introduction to the candidates' responses, particularly her sentence that 'of all the candidates, he is least likely to institute major change.' This assessment does not properly reflect my views on the need for change, which I had emphasised in my answer to the question about the need for constitutional reform of the organisation. I had emphasised the need to re-examine the functions of the organisation and to institute changes to the structure as it exists now. I believe strongly that the organisation needs to be revitalised in pursuance of the reforms under way at present. Even within the South East Asia region, there has been a visible change in the approaches and functioning of the regional arrangements. Over nearly four years, since I took over as regional director in the regional office for South East Asia, I have pursued a policy of partnership and developing solidarity among the countries of the region. In the regional office itself, when I took over, computerisation was lagging behind. I realised the need to bring the office up to an international standard, and the region is now one of the foremost regions in using the new management information system and activity management system. I would not like readers to gain the wrong impression from reading my response. Uton Muchtar Rafei Regional director, World Health Organisation Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi 110002, India References 1 WHO leadership race reaches final stages. BMJ 1998;316:11-6. (3 January.) Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline