Cape Town — Precious Matsoso, who headed the Medicines Control Council (MCC) for six years under former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has emerged as the frontrunner for the post of health director-general.

The appointment of a new director-general is critical for Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi's efforts to improve health services and introduce national health insurance, as he has been without a trusted official in this role since he took office in May last year. Former director-general Thami Mseleku, whom Motsoaledi inherited from the previous administration and was close to Tshabalala-Msimang, resigned in September.

The job is a tough one, as the director-general has to manage a staff of more than 1300, oversee a large budget that includes transfers of billions of rands to the provinces, and guide policy and legislative reform.

Three independent sources told Business Day Matsoso was the preferred candidate among the three people who were recently interviewed for the job. The other two are Nono Simelela, CEO of the South African National Aids Council, and Humphrey Zokufa, chairman of the Board of Healthcare Funders.

The Department of Health is discussing its choice of candidate with the Department of Public Service and Administration, and will then submit its choice to the Cabinet for approval.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) expressed disappointment in the department's choice. Matsoso was tainted by her association with Tshabalala-Msimang and "took an organisation (the MCC) envied by the world and made it a laughing stock," said the DA's health spokesman, Mike Waters. "We don't think it bodes well. We need a fresh new beginning," he said.

The MCC was embroiled in controversies over treatment for HIV during the previous administration, including a row over the safety and efficacy of nevirapine. It was also criticised for not doing enough to crack down on quack remedies. However, AIDS Law Project researcher Nathan Geffen disagreed with the DA, saying Matsoso had done a good job of restructuring the MCC.

Matsoso joined the MCC in 1998, and resigned in December 2004 to take up a post as director of the World Health Organisation's department of technical co-operation for essential drugs and traditional medicine. She then moved on to the post of director for public health innovation and intellectual property.