Commonwealth Secretariat
  1. Who We Are Home
  2. Divisions & Units
    1. Secretary-General's Office
    2. Communications and Public Affairs
    3. Corporate Services
    4. Economic Affairs
    5. Governance and Institutional Development
    6. Human Rights
    7. Legal and Constitutional Affairs
    8. Political Affairs
    9. Special Advisory Services
    10. Strategic Planning and Evaluation
    11. Social Transformation Programmes
    12. Youth Affairs
    13. Secretariat Directors
    14. Arbitral Tribunal
  3. Member States
    1. Membership of the Commonwealth: Report of the Committee on Commonwealth Membership
    2. Commonwealth Earth
  4. Headquarters
    1. The History of Marlborough House
    2. Visit Marlborough House
    3. Virtual Tour of Marlborough House
    4. Other Secretariat Offices
  5. History
    1. Head of the Commonwealth
    2. Modern Commonwealth
    3. Timeline
  6. Symbol and Flag
  7. Commonwealth Tour
  8. Library & Archives
  9. Resources
    1. Documents
    2. Image Library
    3. Libary & Archives
    4. Publications

Health Section Staff

Ernest Massiah

Ernest Massiah is Head of the Health Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. His work involves supervising programmes and work in the section on HIV/AIDS, maternal and infant health and developing partnerships and networks for the development and promotion of health activities across the Commonwealth.

Ernest joined the Secretariat in August 2007 from the Inter-American Development Bank where he worked on the development of the Bank’s programme on HIV/AIDS and Disabilities. He has worked extensively on the design and evaluation of AIDS behaviour change programmes in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Ernest was also previously employed as a Public Health Specialist at the World Bank, where he worked on HIV/AIDS issues in Africa, and at the Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM) he was involved in the development of sub-regional health and education policies.

Joseph Kwadwo Amuzu

Jospeh is an Adviser in the Health Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. He is responsible for co-ordinating the Secretariat’s HIV/AIDS programme and assisting the health team to implement the health priorities identified by Commonwealth Heads of Governments and Ministers of Health. 

Joseph joined the Secretariat after several years in the public health sector and also with USAID and the World Health Organization in Ghana. He has also worked with the National AIDS Commission, the National AIDS Control Programme and development partners to facilitate the establishment of the Ghana AIDS Commission and the implementation of the multi-sectoral response to HIV/AIDS in Ghana.

Peggy Vidot

Peggy is currently working as Adviser in the Health Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She leads the Commonwealth programme on human resources for health and has been working with different regions of the Commonwealth on the issue of international migration of health workers.  Peggy is also responsible for maternal and child health programmes.     
              
Before her appointment to the Commonwealth Secretariat, Peggy was the Director of Health Planning in the Ministry of Health, Seychelles for a number of years and prior to that was Director of Nursing Services in Seychelles. She was also the founding president of the Regional Nursing College in East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSACON) and served as President of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation for eight years.

Hamida Gulamabbas

Hamida is an Administrative Assistant in the Health Section at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She previously worked in the Economic Affairs and the Human Resources Divisions. She joined the Health Section in 2001.

Hamida provides administrative assistance to the Head of the Section and Advisers focusing on HIV/AIDS, Maternal and Child Health, Human Resources for Health and the yearly Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting.