Director General
He had said that global efforts to control the HIV/AIDS pandemic would be the right course that would give meaning to his tenure as director-general of the agency.
The 3 by 5 policy which was the basic idea of Dr. Lee was largely criticized by many concerned people. Many, including Joep Lange, the president of the International Aids Society, had a comment that the project was “totally unrealistic”. Médecins sans Frontières, also expressed similar reservations toward Lee's plan.
He worked tirelessly, visiting 60 countries in the three years of his Generalship including Darfur, Sudan, sites of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Madagascar, Mauritius. He was famed as a man of action during this time. His adventurous spirit led him to "experience more, see more, and do more," said his son Tadahiro.
He died after preparing for UN general meetings. His symptom was caused by inner injury of brain. Dr. Lee fell ill at a luncheon on Saturday in Geneva. He died in intensive care unit of Geneva's University Hospital after receiving emergency surgery for a blood clot on his brain.
After his death, several people expressed deep grief. Secretary General of United Nations at that time, Kofi Annan mentioned
| “ | The world has lost a great man today. He was a strong voice for the right of every man, woman, and child to health prevention and care, and advocated on behalf of the very poorest people. | ” |
President George W. Bush of United States said
| “ | Dr. Lee worked tirelessly to improve the health of millions of people, from combating tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS to his aggressive efforts to eradicate polio. He provided tremendous leadership to the international community as it confronted the challenges of the 21st century, including the threat of an influenza pandemic. Dr. Lee's outreach to world leaders and entities increased awareness of potentially devastating public health dangers. | ” |
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