Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean
Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean
Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari was appointed as WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean by WHO’s Executive Board at its 143rd session and assumed office on 1 June 2018.
Dr Al-Mandhari is a native of Oman and has made a substantial positive contribution to the development and modernization of Oman’s health system, which has witnessed qualitative improvements in recent years, particularly in areas such as patient safety.
A specialist in family and community medicine, Dr Al Mandhari was head of Quality Management and Development at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital from 2005 to 2006, and Deputy Director-General for Clinical Affairs until 2010. From 2010 to 2013, he was Director-General of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, and subsequently served as Director-General of the Quality Assurance Centre at the Ministry of Health until his election as Regional Director. Dr Al-Mandhari also worked as a senior consultant in family medicine and public health in Oman from 2009 to 2018.
Dr Al-Mandhari’s research papers have been widely published and he sits on the editorial boards of several journals, including the Middle East Journal of Family Medicine. In addition, he is a reviewer for various medical journals. Throughout his career, he has been a member of various scientific and professional committees and lectured in the fields of quality management, patient safety, family medicine and public health.
Dr Al-Mandhari obtained a BSc in Health Sciences (1990), followed by an MD in Medicine and Surgery (1993) from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. In 1996, he earned a diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom and was awarded the Royal Fellowship for Family Doctors in 1998. In 2002, he obtained a PhD in Quality Management of Health Care from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Dr Al-Mandhari oversaw the Fellowship Programme in the Department of Family and Community Medicine (FAMCO) at Sultan Qaboos University from 2003 to 2006. From 2007 to 2018, he served as a member and chair of the Higher Medical Committee which investigates medical error complaints in the Sultanate of Oman.
As WHO Regional Director, Dr Al-Mandhari has worked to develop and realize a vision of Health for All by All in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. That vision reflects his conviction that every country, community and individual has a valuable role to play in improving the lives of those around them through solidarity and action. Key initiatives led by Dr Al-Mandhari include, among others, extensive work to address the underlying social determinants of health, ensure access to safe, high-quality health care services, tackle both communicable and noncommunicable diseases, enhance the evidence base for health policy-making, and promote health as a bridge to peace in the Region.
