Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has congratulated former Health Director-General, Dr Precious Matsoso, on her appointment as a panellist in the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.
Dr Matsoso is among the 11 panellists who were announced in Geneva by the panel’s Co-Chairs to serve on the panel.
“Today, we are pleased to present eleven excellent panellists representing a wealth of experience from health and broader societal perspectives,” said the Co-Chairs who announced the 11 panellists on Thursday.
The Independent Panel which will meet approximately every six weeks from September 2020, will hold its first meeting on 17 September.
Following that, it is expected to seek evidence and views from a broad range of stakeholders including World Health Organization (WHO) Member States, health experts, economists, specialists on the social impacts of the pandemic, from civil society, the private sector, and from the general public.
The Panel’s recommendations will aim to support effective management of the pandemic and strengthen how the world can prepare for, and respond to future pandemics.
Matsoso is the former Director-General of the Department of Health and former Chair of the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for the WHO Emergencies Programme.
Dhlomo said Matsoso carried her management and leadership responsibility with diligence, and she “excelled in international health system”.
“As I worked with Dr Matsoso in various institutions before I became the Chairperson of the committee, I am confident that she will discharge her duty diligently and wished him all the best in her new responsibility,” Dhlomo said on Friday. – SAnews.gov.za
