WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy as the US representative to the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO). The White House gave this information. According to a statement issued by the White House, Dr. Murthy will hold the responsibility for this new post along with the surgeon general. In March 2021, the US Senate approved his appointment as the country’s 21st surgeon general. He also served as the 19th ‘Surgeon General’ during the tenure of former US President Barack Obama.
The job of a person occupying the post of ‘Surgeon General’ is to improve the health services of the country by providing clear, consistent, and equitable guidance and resources. “As the 21st ‘Surgeon General’, Dr. Murthy drew the government’s attention to a number of important public health issues, including the increasing prevalence of health misinformation, and psychological problems among youth,” the White House said in a statement. .’
As Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy leads more than 6,000 public health officers. These public health officers work for the most disadvantaged populations. The White House said, ‘Dr. Murthy, the first ‘surgeon general’ of Indian origin, grew up in Miami and studied at Harvard, Yale School of Medicine, and Yale School of Management. Murthy, a renowned physician, research scientist, entrepreneur, and author, lives in Washington DC with his wife Dr. Alice Chen, and their two children.
