U.S. President Barack Obama has picked Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius as his second choice for secretary of health, and the nomination was accepted by the governor on Saturday, according to U.S. media reports.

Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius (photo: zimbio)

Sebelius will replace former senator Thomas A. Daschle, who withdrew his nomination last month due to tax problems, the website of Washington Post and other news outlets reported.

“The president asked Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to serve as his secretary of health and human services, and she accepted,” one administration official was quoted as saying.

“The president will formally announce the nomination on Monday afternoon at the White House,” said the official.

Sebelius, the 60-year-old daughter of a former Ohio governor, served as Kansas state insurance commissioner before winning the 2002 governor’s race. She is halfway through a second term.

Her nomination comes just days before the White House is scheduled to convene a high-level summit on health reform.

In his budget, Obama set aside 634 billion U.S. dollars for a new health reform reserve fund.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet