“I have a high enthusiasm for this job. I really like this job, but at the same time I also realize that I have a heavy responsibility. I have some experience and can have this opportunity to serve I feel very honored and proud to serve the people of the world.” - Margaret Chan
The 59-year-old Margaret Chan was born in Hong Kong and only joined the WHO in August 2003. .
For three years, Margaret Chan has been responsible for WHO's global coordination of environmental health. She actively encouraged countries to formulate contingency strategies to prevent influenza pandemics, promote vaccine development, and assist developing countries in strengthening their ability to resist influenza pandemics. She successfully raised the international community's attention and importance to the prevention of influenza pandemics and supported WHO's global efforts. We have made important contributions to the prevention and control of avian influenza. In order to better serve the world's public health undertakings, Margaret Chan was determined to run for the Director-General of the WHO after being recommended by the Chinese government. She announced her resignation as Assistant Director-General on July 25 and devoted herself to the election. The first Chinese to be elected as the top leader of the United Nations Organization
Margaret Chan has set many "first" records in the field of health - she is the first female Director of Health in Hong Kong and the first Hong Kong civil servant to enter the World Health Organization , the first candidate recommended by the Chinese government to run for the top leadership of the United Nations organization. This time, she will become the first Chinese to be elected as the top leader of the United Nations organization.
Eating chicken every day during bird flu
Almost all Hong Kong people remember that after the outbreak of bird flu, the then Director of Health, Margaret Chan, made a famous saying, declaring that " I eat chicken every day.” She ate chicken with her meal to promote the safety of eating chicken, and for a time, people's "chicken phobia" was greatly alleviated. Moreover, in the early stages of the avian influenza outbreak, Hong Kong adopted a method of killing chickens throughout the city to control the epidemic in a timely manner. This bold method was proposed by Margaret Chan at the time.
Being a housewife while fighting the epidemic
During the "SARS" period, Margaret Chan once again became the protagonist of epidemic prevention and control. She was under great pressure every day and worked efficiently to make people happy. Hong Kong people feel reassured. However, few people knew at the time that the then 55-year-old was a contract employee of the government and had already retired when SARS hit. Moreover, as a wife and mother, in addition to announcing the epidemic every day and promoting anti-SARS knowledge, she also takes the time to buy bleach to dilute and disinfect the virus every day, and fulfill her responsibilities as a housewife.
Rejecting invitations from the WHO twice for Hong Kong
In fact, before Margaret Chan went to the World Health Organization, former WHO Director-General Lee Chung-yu had twice invited her to take up important positions, but They were all politely declined by her. Because she wants to fulfill her promise to the Hong Kong government to "work until the age of 55 before retiring." Margaret Chan's courage and transparency in handling the SARS crisis in Hong Kong earned her an international reputation. After SARS, 55-year-old Margaret Chan retired from the Hong Kong Department of Health before accepting the invitation of the World Health Organization and becoming the first Hong Kong person to hold a senior position in the WHO.
The work style is frank, decisive and unabashed
After arriving at the WHO, Margaret Chan continued to bring her frank and decisive work style to the WHO, no matter which country there was an epidemic We always report cases of diseases, especially avian influenza, to the media in a timely manner, introducing the situation and making no secret of the shortcomings of WHO in its work.
In early February 2006, avian influenza began to spread to the Middle East and Europe. On February 4, Margaret Chan, as the WHO head of the fight against avian influenza, and Shigeru Omi, WHO Western Pacific Regional Director, held a press conference at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Facing reporters' tough questions, she was eloquent and answered fluently. She had relevant information at her fingertips from the Middle East to Europe, and from East Asia to the Asia-Pacific. Her answers were rigorous and precise, showing her solid foundation and rich knowledge. Almost all of the more than 30 questions at the press conference were asked of Margaret Chan, while Shigeru Omi seemed a little left out.
("Competition News") For her lover, she left Canada to pursue a medical career
So far, Margaret Chan has been working in the public health field for 28 years. However, she did not study medicine at the beginning, but liberal arts; her first career was as a teacher, and had nothing to do with doctors or public health. The reason why she chose to study medicine was entirely to spend more time with her boyfriend. For love, she followed her boyfriend to Canada and went to medical school with him. After 37 years of working hand in hand, she finally transformed from a shy girl who was considered suitable to be a "housewife" by the dean during her interview for medical school to a strong Chinese woman in charge of global health today.
The husband who is not good at science works as a tutor every night
In 1969, when her boyfriend Chen Zhixiong decided to leave Hong Kong to study in Canada, Margaret Chan worried that the distance would end their love. . In distress, she consulted her mother, who told her that she should choose to "follow your heart" to Canada. When Chen Zhixiong decided to become a doctor, she was worried that her boyfriend's heavy medical studies would prevent him from having time to spend with her. So she decided to abandon literature and pursue medicine, and study medicine together with her boyfriend. However, when she was interviewing for medical school, the dean of the interviewing school told her: "You should probably be a family woman rather than a doctor."
But in the end, the couple fell in love. The couple were admitted to the School of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario in Canada together. The two chose to hold their wedding before enrolling in school. But the first year of study was extremely difficult for Margaret Chan because she had been worried about her science scores since she was a child. Fortunately, she had her husband as a tutor for her every night. In this way, the two studied hard together and stayed together on campus. Just when Margaret Chan completed her studies and successfully found an internship in Canada, she had to leave Canada and return to Hong Kong because her mother-in-law, Chan Chi-hsiung's mother, fell ill. "As a traditional Asian woman, I chose to follow my husband. So I had to go back to Hong Kong with him to take care of my mother," she said in an interview.
“A good and competent mother” in the eyes of her son
Back in Hong Kong, Margaret Chan entered the Hong Kong Department of Health. At that time, Margaret Chan already had a son, but her work was excellent and her promotion path was smooth. In an interview with reporters, she attributed her success to "good luck and a good boss."
Now, Margaret Chan's husband, Dr. Chan Chi-hung, serves as the chief executive of the Hong Kong Ophthalmology Hospital
Their son Chan Ho-chi, 26, is now a practicing barrister. Last year, he won the "Hong Kong Barrister Scholarship". Chen Haoqi described their family of three as having a very good relationship, "Mommy is usually very busy at work, but she is a good and competent mother." During Margaret Chan's election campaign, although her family could not be with her, they supported her all the time. Mrs. Chan this time After being elected, her family went to Geneva to celebrate her. Classmate: What a miracle!
In the eyes of classmate Paul Dickie, Margaret Chan is a somewhat shy girl. “She is very quiet and not very active. At that time, I really didn’t expect that this shy girl would be in her thirties. It’s a miracle to be at the top of the world’s health field after many years!” Paul Dickie and Margaret Chan and her husband Chan Chi-hsiung are classmates and friends at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
Colleague: She is a strong woman in China
" Margaret Chan is very capable and a very decisive and experienced health worker. She is a two-time former Director-General of the World Health Organization. Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland and Dr. Li Zhongyu both admire her very much, and Dr. Brundtland also praised her as a strong woman in China," said Professor Hu Qingli, former deputy director-general of the World Health Organization.
Media: She has a "star" style
The gentle and kind qualities of Margaret Chan are obvious, and she has a "star" style. She pays great attention to her appearance and likes to put on makeup. Every time she meets a guest, she will carefully design everything from her clothes to her appearance. If a newspaper published a beautiful photo of her, she would also ask her colleagues to contact the newspaper to buy the photo as a souvenir. She also likes to dance and is said to be quite graceful.
An annual salary of one million plus benefits
The Director-General of WHO has a high position of authority
The Director-General of WHO is the "top leader" of the WHO and has great influence on the world. Health policies are of great importance. They not only focus on disease control and large-scale infectious diseases in developing countries, but also have the right to make health policy announcements for individual countries or regions, such as issuing travel warnings, etc., which can seriously affect the relevant regions and even country's economy. The WHO currently has 192 member states, accounting for more than 85% of the total number of countries and regions in the world. The married WHO Director-General has an annual salary of US$217,945 (approximately RMB 1.695 million). After tax and insurance are deducted, the net annual salary is approximately RMB 1.132 million; the net annual salary of a single person is approximately RMB 1.069 million. The Director-General of the World Health Organization also receives transportation expenses when he returns to his hometown every two years and an education allowance for his children, as well as other benefits including a car and a personal secretary.