Who is the most powerful doctor in the world? All your questions answered

Who is the most powerful doctor in the world? All your questions answered

Who is the most powerful doctor in the world? The man in question is none other than Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates. When you enter a Google search query, his name pops up. This raises more questions than answers because Gates does not have a medical degree.

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Who is the most powerful doctor in the world
Bill walks to a morning session during the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. Photo: Kevin Dietsch
Source: Getty Images

It is not a new thing to hear of wealthy individuals being passionate about things such as health, nutrition, and education among others. While most philanthropists donate their money and go about with their lives, others like Bill Gates have immersed themselves in such causes beyond the financial aspect. He has had a huge influence on the World Health Organization calling for criticism of misplaced priorities.

Who is the most powerful doctor in the world according to Google?

Bill Gates is listed as the world’s most powerful doctor on Google. There has been an uproar on social media by users who cannot understand how Gates, who is not even a doctor becomes the most powerful doctor in the world.

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Many were quick to point out that Gates is on a mission to decongest the earth hence the reason for him being recognized as a doctor. As expected, conspiracy theorists had a field day coming up with all manner of explanations, most of which were wild and farfetched.

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Is Bill Gates a doctor?

No, Gates is not a medical doctor but a philanthropist who has been at the forefront in matters relating to world health. However, Gates and his wife Melinda have honorary doctor of medicine degrees from the Karolinska Institutet.

It is the honorary degree that brings the confusion about him having a medical background. Gates received the honorary degree back in 2007 for his contribution to global health alongside his wife through their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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If you think that is a big deal, then you probably know nothing about the seven other honorary degrees Gates has. Those were also given for his contribution to various fields such as computer science, world health, and medicine.

Why is Gates listed as the most powerful doctor in the world?

Now that Gates is not a doctor, why would he be referred to as the most powerful doctor in the world? It is not a conspiracy as many people think, but there is a very simple explanation for the query.

Who is the most powerful doctor?
L-R) Bill, Jeremy Strong and Stéphane Bancel attend the 2022 TIME100 Gala in New York City. Photo: Kevin Mazur
Source: Getty Images

What brings the search result on google is the combination of keywords used. In this case, the keyword is “the world’s most powerful doctor”. The name of Bill Gates will therefore feature because of a 2017 article by Politico that shares the same keywords titled “Meet the world’s most powerful doctor: Bill Gates.”

While the article was not implying that Gates is a doctor, it acknowledged him as the second biggest donor to the World Health Organization. He has single-handedly given the agency about $2.4 billion since 2000. The biggest donor is the United States government and the third is the United Kingdom.

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Criticism of Gates’ outsized influence over WHO

Since he is the second biggest donor, Gates has an influence on how he wants his money spent. Furthermore, the US and UK have in the recent past threatened to stop funding WHO, which means that Gates’ influence will grow substantially.

Those criticizing his role claim that the priorities of Bill Gates have become WHO’s priorities as well. For instance, WHO has put a lot of effort into eradicating polio as per the wishes of Gates, while many feel that more resources should be devoted to strengthening health care in poor countries in order to contain future outbreaks.

Due to his influence, it has also been claimed that he may be playing a role in the hiring of staff by WHO. When the agency is looking for top-level experts, the candidates feel the need to ally with Gates in order to have a better chance of being selected.

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Gates was the first individual to keynote the agency’s general assembly of member countries. As a result, members of the academia coined the term ‘Bill Chill’ to refer to his sway on global health. Very few people dare to openly criticize what he does and that in itself is a big problem.

Gates is accorded the treatment of a head of state at WHO and the G20 as well. The biggest fear is that since most of the Gates Foundation’s money comes from investments in big business, there is a likelihood that it could serve as a Trojan horse for corporate interests. Such interests will undermine the role of WHO in setting standards and shaping health policies.

The other fear is that the overreliance on Gates’ money by WHO could cripple the agency should he decide to withdraw funding.

Who is the most powerful doctor in the world
Bill and Phoebe attend the 2022 TIME100 Gala in New York City. Photo: Dimitrios Kambour
Source: Getty Images

Frequently asked questions

  1. Who is the most powerful doctor in the world? Bill is the most powerful doctor in the world because of his contribution to the health sector.
  2. Is Bill Gates a doctor? No, he is a Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist.
  3. Who is the world’s greatest doctor? Dr William A. Abdu, M.D, M.S., who is an Associate Professor of Orthopedics and the Dartmouth Institute Medical Director, is probably the greatest doctor in the world.
  4. Who is the smartest doctor in the world? Eric Topol, an American cardiologist, scientist and author, is believed to be the smartest doctor in the world.
  5. Who is the most powerful doctor in America? Anthony Fauci is the most powerful doctor in America.
  6. What degree does Bill Gates have? He has an honorary doctor of medicine degree from the Karolinska Institutet.
  7. Is Bill Gates the biggest WHO donor? He is the biggest individual donor of the agency and the second biggest overall donor behind the United States government.

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Who is the most powerful doctor in the world? Bill Gates. The Microsoft mogul has not done any medical course, but his influence in philanthropy activities has played a major role.

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Julian Mireri (SEO editor) Julian is a content creator who has been working with Yen since 2018. She graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor’s Degree in Project Planning and Management in the year 2013. Think of her as a content whisperer and a gifted storyteller who never disappoints when it comes to finding the right words for her pieces. Email: julianmireri@gmail.com