Indonesia has officially nominated its Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, for the WHO Director-General election – in what is also an unconventional candidacy for the global health agency that has traditionally been led by medical or public health professionals. Sadikin was posted as an official nominee on the WHO election website over the weekend.

A nuclear physicist and banker by training, Sadikin took over the Indonesian Ministry of Health in December 2020, leading the country through the COVID-19 pandemic without any formal medical or public health background.

“And then suddenly the previous president put me [in charge] as the first health minister … to take care of COVID,” Sadikin remarked at an event on pandemic preparedness on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly.

Prior to his service as health minister, he built a corporate track record as the Chief Executive Officer of Indonesia’s largest Bank Mandiri, starting in 2013. He later served as Group CEO of the state-owned mining and aluminium enterprise PT Inalum until 2019.

Corporate leadership in a time of institutional crisis

Sadikin’s lack of medical or public health training is seen as a disadvantage by some observers. By contrast, all previous Director-Generals – with the sole exception of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – were qualified medical doctors. Tedros holds an MSc in infectious diseases from the University of London.

However, Sadikin’s strong background in finance could arguably be a decisive advantage in the current climate.

As a key diplomatic credential, he is also one of the architects of the World Bank-hosted Pandemic Fund, launched in Bali in 2022.

While Tedros has not openly endorsed any DG candidate, he posted a flattering thanks to Sadikin on LinkedIn last month after Indonesia contributed some $30 million to WHO in voluntary funding to help close the outstanding funding gap in the agency’s 2026-27 $4.2 billion budget. As of May, the budget remained short of $300 million in funding- even after being pared back by over $1 billion since the United States withdrew from the global health agency in January 2025.  

Fourth contender in the race

Sadikin’s nomination brings the current field to four declared contenders ahead of the 24 September deadline, along with Dr Hanan Balkhy of Saudi Arabia and Dr Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari of Qatar. Last week, Belgium’s Dr Hans Kluge announced his candidacy.

The declared candidates so far, also are informally regarded as the current “frontrunners” in the election, scheduled for May 2027 in Geneva. Just one month remains for new contenders or dark horses to emerge before nominations close on 24 September. 

The upcoming election comes at a time of tumult and change within the WHO. Funding shortfalls triggered by the United States’ withdrawal from the global health agency have forced far-reaching cost-cutting measures – reducing staff by 25% over the past year.

And over the past month, several members of the senior leadership team have left the organization – including the leading UK physician and researcher Dr Jeremy Farrar, whose departure was confirmed only last week. Farrar had also been considered a potential DG candidate but he has denied that he is running – however he has also remained mum on his future plans.  

Member States will elect the new leader during the 80th World Health Assembly. The successor will assume office on 16 August 2027, immediately after Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concludes his term.

See related story:

https://healthpolicy-watch.news/high-profile-departures-who-leadership/

Image Credits: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Felix Sassmannshausen/HPW.