About us | Regional Director | Dr Zafar Mirza, Director, Health Systems and Services Development



Dr Zafar Mirza, Director, Health System Development 

Zafar Mirza, Director Health System DevelopmentVision

The Department of Health System Development envisions the achievement of universal health coverage in all countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region, thereby ensuirng improved health outcomes, overall as well as distributional and financial protection for all.

Mission

The overarching mission of the Department of Health System Development is to improve the performance of health systems in the Region by providing evidence-based policy advice, building individual and institutional capacity, and supporting priority programmes through better governance, financing, workforce, technologies and services.

Biography

Dr Zafar Mirza is the Director of Health System Development at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. He is a medical doctor with post-graduation in Public Health in Developing Countries from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a clinical stint in mental health. 

Before his current responsibility he was leading the Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property team at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, for 6 years. He also served as a Regional Adviser for Essential Medicines and Pharmaceutical Policies in the WHO Regional Office for 5 years prior to moving to WHO headquarters. For 12 years before joining WHO, he was a founder Executive Director of a civil society organization – The Network for Consumer Protection in Pakistan.

He has a long standing experience of working at national, regional and global levels in public and private health sectors. He has extensively travelled, published and contributed to improving public health in many countries.