WHO fires director in Asia accused of racist misconduct

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization has fired its top official in the Western Pacific. The Associated Press reported in January 2022 that dozens of staff members had accused Dr. Takeshi Kasai of racist, abusive and unethical behavior that may have compromised the U.N. health agency’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. In an email sent to staffers on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Kasai’s appointment had been “terminated” after an internal investigation found “findings of misconduct.” Kasai’s removal comes about a year after an AP investigation revealed that more than 30 unidentified WHO employees sent a written complaint about him to senior WHO leaders and members of the organization’s highest governing body.