Ndugulile was a former member of parliament for Kigamboni Constituency in Dar es Salaam.
Dr Faustine Ndugulile, 55, elected as the World Health Organisation’s regional director for Africa, has died while receiving medical treatment in India.
The Tanzania’s Speaker of Parliament, Tulia Ackson, announced on Wednesday, stating that plans to repatriate his body were underway and that funeral arrangements would be communicated later but he did not disclose his ailment, the Associated Press reports.
Ndugulile was a former member of parliament for Kigamboni Constituency in Dar es Salaam.
He also served as health assistant minister from 2017 to 2020 and as information and communication minister until 2021.
He was set to begin his tenure as WHO’s regional director in February 2025, succeeding Dr Matshidiso Moeti. During his acceptance speech, he committed to advancing health and well-being across Africa.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan called his death “devastating,” while WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said he was “shocked and deeply saddened.”