Margaret Chan Quotes

China, Physician
August 21, 1947

Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, OBE, JP (born August 21, 1947) is a Chinese-Canadian physician, who served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) delegating the People's Republic of China for 2006–2017. Chan was elected by the Executive Board of WHO on 8 November 2006, and was endorsed in a special meeting of the World Health Assembly on the following day. Chan has previously served as Director of Health in the Hong Kong Government (1994–2003), representative of the WHO Director-General for Pandemic Influenza and WHO Assistant Director-General for Communicable Diseases (2003–2006). In 2014 she was ranked as the 30th most powerful woman in the world according to Forbes.

For the first time in human history, we have a chance to prepare ourselves for a pandemic before it arrives, ... It is incumbent upon the global community to act now.

Margaret Chan
- Time
- History
- Community
Doctors and nurses, with their training and their experiences, they would be able to detect unusual patterns of disease. That's why we say it is important for every country to have a proper surveillance system. The function of the surveillance system is to detect unusual patterns of diseases.

Margaret Chan
- Important
- Country
- Why

So far there is no evidence for increased chance of human-to-human transmission.

Margaret Chan
In view of the situation in Iraq, I was on the phone talking to the company and they are willing to provide in the order of 7-10,000 treatment courses and we are trying to ship them as soon as possible to the ground.

Margaret Chan
- Trying
- Company
- Situation
I have a reputation for being a straight-talker.

Margaret Chan
- Reputation
- Straight-talker
While we cannot predict when or if the H5N1 virus might spark a pandemic, we cannot ignore the warning signs, ... For the first time in human history, we have a chance to prepare ourselves for a pandemic before it arrives.

Margaret Chan
- Time
- History
- Chance
What amazes me most is that the media and I have fostered a close relationship.

Margaret Chan
- Relationship
- Media
The way I look at - speaking as a woman - I understand what it means to be a daughter, and to be a wife, and to be a mother, and also to be a career woman. The multiple roles that women can play in a society if given the opportunity is really a tremendous asset.

Margaret Chan
- Women
- Mother
- Career

The World Health Organization did a world health report in 2006. In the whole world about 60 countries are in dire situation in terms of having enough doctors. And many of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. You know, that part of the world alone needs one million doctors.

Margaret Chan
- World
- Alone
- Health
H5N1 is primarily an animal disease. However, given its expanding geographical scope and that H5N1 is endemic in some countries, our assessment is that the risk of pandemic is great. Timing is unpredictable and the severity is uncertain.

Margaret Chan
- Great
- Risk
- Animal
No one can say when this will end.

Margaret Chan
- End
- Say
That was a time when we were really working together as an international community of academics, politicians, public health experts. Everybody really was so focused.

Margaret Chan
- Time
- Together
- Community
The possible impact of the virus [Zika] an extraordinary event and a public health threat to other parts of the world.

Margaret Chan
- World
- Health
- Public
Concern has mounted progressively, and events in recent weeks justify that concern.

Margaret Chan
- Events
- Concern