{
  "id": 137335,
  "title": "First WHO Regional Director Takes Leave To Run for Director-General",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/first-who-regional-director-takes-leave-to-run-for-director-general",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-04T15:14:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Health Policy Watch",
    "slug": "health-policy-watch",
    "url": "https://healthpolicy-watch.news/balkhy-director-general-election/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy will take immediate leave effective Tuesday to formally launch her campaign in the WHO Director-General Election, according to an internal notice from DG Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus seen by Health Policy Watch. Balkhy becomes the first serving regional director required to take leave after Tedros issued newly tightened […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}