VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHKA #3063 2090856
ZNY CCCCC OF THE SARS OUTBREAK, A FACTOR THAT PLAYED A LARGE
P 280856Z JUL 06
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 003063 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM AND EAP/EP TWANG 
STATE FOR G/AIAG JLANGE, HFOSTER, RFENDRICK 
STATE FOR M/MED AND M/MEDEX PETER WOOD 
HHS FOR OGHA - STEIGER, ELVANDER, BHAT 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC 
STATE PLEASE PASS TO USDA FOR DU/US LAMBERT 
BEIJING FOR DSELIGSOHN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2031 
TAGS: AMED ECON PREL KSTH TBIO EAGR CVIS HK CH
SUBJECT: HONG KONG REACTIONS TO MARGARET CHAN,S NOMINATION 
TO LEAD WHO 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: ECONOMIC/POLITICAL SECTION ACTING CHIEF JEFF ZAISER; 
REASONS 1.4(B,D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  ON JULY 25, THE PRC CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN 
BEIJING NOMINATED DR. MARGARET CHAN, FORMER HONG KONG 
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH, TO BE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE WORLD 
HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO).  MEDIA REPORTS AND CONTACTS IN THE 
PUBLIC HEALTH FIELD SUGGEST BROAD SUPPORT FOR HER CANDIDACY, 
BELIEVING THAT BEIJING MIGHT BE MORE OPEN TO WHO EFFORTS IN 
THE REGION IF A CHINESE PERSON WERE AT THE HELM OF THE 
ORGANIZATION.  SOME PATIENT ADVOCACY GROUPS IN HONG KONG, 
HOWEVER, HAVE CRITICIZED CHAN FOR HER HANDLING OF THE SARS 
CRISIS IN 2003.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) BRIEF BIO:  CHAN HAS MEDICAL DEGREES FROM THE 
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO AND AN MPH FROM THE NATIONAL 
UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE.  SHE JOINED HONG KONG,S DEPARTMENT 
OF HEALTH IN 1978 AND WAS APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF HEALTH IN 
¶1994.  SHE CAME UNDER STRONG CRITICISM FOR HER ALLEGED POOR 
HANDLING OF THE SARS OUTBREAK, A FACTOR THAT PLAYED A LARGE 
ROLE IN HER RESIGNATION FROM THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IN 
¶2003.  A 2004 SARS REPORT CITED HER FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S SLOW 
RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS; IN PARTICULAR, SHE WAS BLAMED FOR THE 
FAILURE TO ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO INITIAL REPORTS OF THE 
EPIDEMIC IN GUANGDONG, AND FOR HONG KONGS DELAYED ENGAGEMENT 
WITH PRC OFFICIALS TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE OUTBREAK AND 
ITS THREAT TO HONG KONG.  FOLLOWING HER RESIGNATION, SHE 
JOINED THE WHO AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR COMMUNICABLE 
DISEASES.  CHAN RECENTLY TOOK A LEAVE OF ABSENCE FROM THAT 
JOB TO SEEK THE DIRECTOR GENERAL POSITION.  LOCAL MEDIA 
REPORTED THAT SHE FLEW TO BEIJING ON JULY 27 TO DISCUSS HER 
CANDIDACY STRATEGY WITH MAINLAND OFFICIALS FROM THE MINISTRY 
OF HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. 
 
¶3. (U) SOME LOCAL MEDIA HAVE REPORTED THAT CHAN IS LIKELY TO 
FACE STRONG COMPETITION FOR THE WHO POSITION.  ACCORDING TO 
THE "SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST," HOWEVER, THE PRC'S NOMINATION 
AND STRONG SUPPORT FOR HER CANDIDACY COULD HELP HER WIN THE 
JOB, PARTICULARLY SINCE THE WHO HAS URGED CHINA TO BE MORE 
OPEN AND TRANSPARENT IN ITS PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSES.  MEDIA 
REPORTS ALSO NOTE THAT CHAN,S EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH 
HONG KONG,S 1997 OUTBREAK OF H5N1, AS WELL AS THE SARS 
EPIDEMIC, PROVIDE HER WITH THE EXPERIENCE AND MANAGEMENT 
SKILLS NEEDED BY THE WHO TO RESPOND TO AND PREVENT FUTURE 
EPIDEMICS. 
 
¶4. (C) ON JULY 26, DR. MALIK PIERIS, A RENOWNED INFECTIOUS 
DISEASE SPECIALIST FROM HONG KONG UNIVERSITY TOLD ECONOFF 
THAT CHAN WAS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE, GIVEN HER BACKGROUND IN 
HEALTH PROMOTION AND MANAGEMENT.  HE FELT THAT HER ELECTION 
WOULD BRING CHANGES TO THE WHO,S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE 
MAINLAND, IMPLYING THAT IT COULD BRING MORE OPENNESS. 
SIMILARLY, PROFESSOR PAUL CHAN OF CHINESE UNIVERSITY, WHO 
ONCE WORKED UNDER CHAN AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SAID HER 
CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE OF ASIA AND EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH 
MAINLAND OFFICIALS WOULD ENABLE THE WHO TO IMPLEMENT 
ESSENTIAL POLICIES IN ASIA, A REGION FROM WHICH MANY DISEASES 
HAVE EMERGED RECENTLY.  HE FELT HAVING A PERSON FROM HONG 
KONG IN THE POSITION WOULD FACILITATE COMMUNICATION AND TRUST 
BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WHO.  HOWEVER, BOTH CONTACTS EXPRESSED 
CONCERN ABOUT HER ABILITY TO WIN THE POSITION, NOTING THAT 
SHIGERU OMI OF JAPAN ALSO HAS GOOD CHANCES OF ASSUMING THE 
POST.   NONETHELESS, DR. THOMAS TSANG OF HONG KONG,S CENTRE 
FOR HEALTH PROTECTION NOTED ON JULY 27 THAT MANY IN THE 
CENTRE WERE PLEASED TO LEARN OF HER NOMINATION AND BELIEVED 
THAT SHE HAD THE ABILITY TO GARNER THE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT 
NEEDED TO WIN THE POSITION. 
 
¶5. (C) ALTHOUGH THERE IS MUCH SUPPORT IN HONG KONG FOR CHAN'S 
NOMINATION, VOICES OF DISSENT CAN ALSO BE HEARD.  LEGCO 
MEMBER DR. KWOK KA KI PUBLICLY SUPPORTED HER NOMINATION, BUT 
ALSO URGED HER TO LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES SHE MADE DURING THE 
SARS CRISIS.  MEANWHILE, HONG KONG PATIENTS' RIGHTS 
ASSOCIATION SPOKESMAN TIM PANG PUBLICLY STATED THAT HIS 
ORGANIZATION WAS CONCERNED ABOUT CHAN,S ABILITY TO MANAGE A 
GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS, GIVEN THE DIFFICULTY SHE HAD IN 
RESPONDING TO THE SPREAD OF SARS FROM GUANGDONG TO HONG KONG. 
 HE PRIVATELY TOLD ECONOFF THAT SUPPORT FOR HER NOMINATION 
CAME LARGELY FROM THE HKSAR AND PRC GOVERNMENTS, WHILE SOME 
SARS VICTIM GROUPS AND SOME LEGCO MEMBERS RETAIN STRONG 
RESERVATIONS ABOUT HER CANDIDACY.  HE NOTED THAT OMI OF JAPAN 
IS A STRONG CONTENDER FOR THE POSITION, BECAUSE HE ALSO HAS 
EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN DEALING WITH REGIONAL EPIDEMICS. 
PANG ALSO BELIEVES THAT HAVING A CHINESE NATIONAL AS DIRECTOR 
GENERAL WILL NOT NECESSARILY LEAD TO INCREASED WILLINGNESS BY 
CHINESE AUTHORITIES TO DISCLOSE INFORMATION ON DISEASE RATES. 
 HE NOTED THAT THE MAIN PROBLEM LIES IN THE LACK OF 
TRANSPARENCY AND OPENNESS IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM AT THE 
LOCAL LEVEL, AN ISSUE WHICH NEITHER CHAN NOR OMI WOULD BE 
ABLE TO ADDRESS EFFECTIVELY.  BUT, HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT 
HAVING HER IN THE POSITION COULD HELP IMPROVE THE SOUR 
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRC AND THE WHO THAT DATES BACK TO 
THE SARS EPIDEMIC. 
MULLINS