When former Hong Kong health director Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun took the oath of office as director-general of the World Health Organisation, she promised to uphold its principle 'not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the performance of my duties from any government or any authority external to the organisation'.
It was the same oath taken by each of her six predecessors. In Dr Chan's case, her Chinese nationality raises questions about where her loyalties will lie as head of the UN agency.
The issue of transparency has been a problem in China's handling of Sars, HIV and bird flu. Will Dr Chan be up to the task of confronting the mainland if public health is at stake?
Dr Chan said she would be an independent advocate for health and would act without fear or favour.
'First and foremost, now that I have been elected as director-general, I will no longer wear my nationality on my sleeve. I'll leave it behind. I took the oath to serve the interests of the organisation, which consists of 193 member states,' Dr Chan said.
She said she took the oath seriously, adding: 'I will carry it out to the best of my ability.'
Dr Chan said as a Chinese national, she hoped she would have better access to top levels of the mainland government and be able to 'reflect to them some of the important issues in public health'.
