Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed

Dr Ahmed Jamsheed Mohamed, citizen of the Republic of Maldives, took over the responsibilities of WHO Representative to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 3 August 2022. Prior to joining the WHO Country Office for DPR Korea, Dr Jamsheed was Deputy WHO Representative to Bangladesh.

Dr Jamsheed has over 16 years of leadership experience in public health and joined the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India, in November 2013 as Medical Officer. In December 2015 he assumed the post of the Regional Adviser – NTD Control. Under his leadership, the Region made immense progress in control, elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases, including eliminating three NTDs in six Member States. While serving as Regional Adviser, Dr Jamsheed was temporarily deputed as Acting WHO Representative to DPR Korea in 2019 and is familiar with the country.

Prior to joining WHO, Dr Jamsheed served the cause of public health in his native Maldives in various capacities across a gamut of roles and responsibilities, ranging from being deployed in the tertiary hospital and providing public health services in the remotest of atolls and islands to leading the nation’s health sector as Minster of Health (2012–2013). He has both served and led the public health department and the health sector in his country at technical and policy levels.

Dr Jamsheed has an enduring interest in public health and improving health literacy among the public and policy-makers, and is an ardent advocate of the primary health care approach, upstream public health interventions and universal coverage. His passion for educating the public on health issues led to his active participation in, as well as leading, several community-based public health interventions in Maldives. Dr Jamsheed led the restructuring of the current public health system in his country and played an important role in shaping the health sector’s legislative agenda.  

Born in the Island of Fuvahmulah, Maldives in 1972, Dr Jamsheed holds a medical degree from Indira Gandhi Medical College, Nagpur, India, and a Masters Degree in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom. An avid reader, amateur photographer, traveler and a certified scuba diver, Dr Jamsheed is fluent in English and Dhivehi (native language), can converse in Hindi and Urdu, and has a basic understanding of Arabic.