The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the death of Dr Mahmoud Fikri, the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, while en route to a global health summit in South America.

Details of his death were not available immediately.

Dr Fikri had served since February as the regional director of the region that includes Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Somalia and Sudan amongst 22 other nations, including Palestine.

"The organisation extends its sincere condolences to Dr Fikri's family and his colleagues and friends throughout WHO and the EMRO region," said WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia in a statement.

For two decades prior to his appointment, Dr Fikri was either a member or the head of the UAE Ministry of Health delegation to WHO's Health Assembly and the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.

He was adviser to the UAE Minister of Health, and was previously the Assistant-Undersecretary for Preventive Medicine and Health Policies Affairs in the Ministry from 1995 to 2013. He was also a member of WHO's Executive Board from 1997 to 2000.

Dr Fikri graduated in medicine and surgery from the University of Ain Shams, Egypt in 1979. He completed a doctoral degree in medicine in Romania, and served as a member of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom in 2000. Fikri also completed specialised work in tropical diseases in the UK.

He also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the WHO Centre for Health Development, "WHO Kobe Centre", Japan, and a Member of the Advisory Board of the Gulf Health Council for Cooperation Council States

Source: Khaleej Times