Newly appointed Ebola Czar Ron Klain, a former White House staff, would begin his work on coordinating the Obama administration’s response to the deadly disease which has claimed over 4,500 lives globally, officials have said.
“On Wednesday, Ron Klain will start at the White House as the Ebola Response Coordinator. The President asked Mr Klain to take on the task of coordinating his administration’s whole of government Ebola response,” a White House official had said yesterday.
He will report directly to the Homeland Security Adviser Lisa Monaco and the National Security Adviser Susan Rice to ensure an aggressive, effective, and synchronised response across government to enhance domestic preparedness and stem the epidemic at its source in West Africa.
Klain has earlier held the post of chief of staff to two Democratic vice-presidents.
On his first day, he will meet Obama and senior members of the team responsible for coordinating the government’s response to the unfolding pandemic.
“He will attend meetings with other senior White House staff, as well as with the White House teams that are coordinating and operationalising the comprehensive strategy to enhance our domestic preparedness and contain the epidemic in West Africa,” the White House official said.
“Klain continues to be the person that the President believes is the expert implementer that’s needed to ensure that our whole-of-government approach to fighting Ebola is effectively applied in this situation to protect the American public,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
The Press Secretary added that Klain has got a responsibility for making sure that all of the government agencies responsible for responding to this effort are “coordinated and integrated in a way that meets the high standards the President has set for his team’’.
Justifying his selection for the top job, Earnest said: “Klain is somebody who has very strong management credentials, both inside of government and in the private sector, and it’s why we believe, and the President believes, he is the right person for the job.”