Hanan Balkhy

Hanan Balkhy became the World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean in February 2024. She was previously the assistant director-general for antimicrobial resistance at the WHO headquarters and executive director for infection prevention and control at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of National Guard. A paediatrician and infectious diseases specialist, she led the Gulf Cooperation Council Centre for Infection Control as well as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Resistance in Saudi Arabia.

Health

Health under siege: conflict, insecurity and the role of humanitarian diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Violent conflict is affecting over a third of the region’s countries, leaving...