Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s original proposal sparked an outcry.

He had previously praised Zimbabwe for its commitment to public health.

But Mr Mugabe’s critics say Zimbabwe’s healthcare system has collapsed under his 30-year rule, with staff often going without pay while medicines are in short supply.

It led Zimbabwean human rights lawyer Doug Coltart to take to Twitter to question how the WHO felt about having “a Goodwill Ambassador who destroyed the health sector in his country”.

Other social media users accused the president – who, at 93, has outlived his country’s average life expectancy by more than three decades – of travelling abroad to receive his own medical treatment.

Dear @WHO

Your new goodwill ambassador presides over a collapsed health system & goes to Singapore for treatment pic.twitter.com/6rontGROXZ

— Alex T Magaisa (@Wamagaisa) October 21, 2017

Meanwhile, the UK government described his selection as “surprising and disappointing” given his country’s human rights record, and warned it could overshadow the WHO’s work.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he “thought it was a bad April Fool’s joke”, while the US state department said it “clearly contradicts the United Nations ideals of respect for human rights and human dignity”.

Zimbabwe’s leader has been frequently taken to task over human rights abuses by both the EU and the US.

Other groups who have criticised Mr Mugabe’s appointment include the Wellcome Trust, the NCD Alliance, UN Watch, the World Heart Federation and Action Against Smoking.

Dr Tedros had said Zimbabwe was a country that “places universal health coverage and health promotion at the centre of its policies to provide health care to all”.

However, the Ethiopian said on Saturday he was “rethinking his approach in light of WHO values”.

Mr Mugabe was supposed to be goodwill ambassador “to help tackle non-communicable diseases”, which includes things like heat attacks and asthma.

Dr Tedros is the first African to lead the WHO. He was elected in May with a mandate to tackle perceived politicisation in the organisation.

–
Source: BBC

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Court papers claim Walmart driver Kevin Roper, 35, had not slept for more than 24 hours before the accident early on Saturday morning.

He swerved to avoid traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike, crashing into Morgan’s limo bus and killing fellow comedian James McNair, known as Jimmy Mack.

Roper is facing death by auto and assault charges.

Morgan, who was nominated for an Emmy for his role in 30 Rock, is in a critical but stable condition after surgery on his leg at the weekend.

Earlier this week, the comedian’s spokesman Lewis Kay dismissed online rumours that his leg had to be amputated, calling them “completely fabricated”.

Morgan suffered a broken femur, a broken nose and several broken ribs in the accident, in which two other passengers were seriously injured.

Award-winning comedy 30 Rock ended last year after seven series

One further passenger was treated and released from the hospital on Saturday while the limo driver and another passenger were unhurt.

New Jersey State Police have now released audio recordings of the three emergency calls made after the crash.

One unidentified woman told the operator: “It’s a terrible accident. The car flipped. It’s on its side. It’s two vehicles and a Walmart truck.”

Morgan, who also starred in Saturday Night Live, was scheduled to start filming ten episodes of a new half-hour comedy show in August, for cable network FX.

“The only thing we are concerned with is the health and recovery of Tracy Morgan and the victims of this tragic accident,” said the network in a statement.

“We will support Tracy and his family in every way possible throughout his recovery. At the point when Tracy has recovered and decides that he is ready to go back to work, his show will be waiting for him.”

Source: BBC

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