Bad news for ex Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina as her daughter Saima Wazed put on…, Yunus government accuses her of…
New Delhi: Saima Wazed, daughter of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Haisna and the Regional Director for WHO South East Asia, has been sent on indefinite leave by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the reports, the move comes amid Bangladesh’s interim government’s claim that she was involved in corruption during Hasina’s regime. Health Policy Watch reported that WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus has circulated an email informing the staff that Wazed would be on leave from July 11.
His email further said that Dr Catharina Boehme, WHO’s assistant director-general, would replace Wazed in the UN health agency’s South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).
Saima Wazed: All You Need To Know
- Saima Wazed is the daughter of Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
- She was born 9 December 1972
- She served as the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organization from November 1, 2023 to July 11, 2025.
- Saima Wazed graduated from Barry University. She is a licensed school psychologist.
- Wazed organized the first South Asian conference on Autism in 2011 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- She is the chairperson of National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental disorders.
- She campaigned for “Comprehensive and Coordinated Efforts for the Management of Autism Spectrum Disorders” resolution at the World Health Assembly which adopted the resolution, Autism Speaks praised her for spearheading “a truly global push for support for this resolution”.
- She had been drafted as a global autism advocate of World Health Organization’s (WHO) 25-member Expert Advisory Panel on mental health for 4 years in 2014.
- In November, 2016, Wazed had been elected as chairperson of International Jury Board meeting of UNESCO for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
- In April 2017, Wazed was designated as WHO Champion for Autism” in South-East Asia.
- In July, 2017 she became the WHO’s goodwill ambassador for autism in the South-East Asia Region.
- Since 2022, Wazed has been a member of the Commission for Universal Health convened by Chatham House and co-chaired by Helen Clark and Jakaya Kikwete.
Charges Against Wazed
Bangladesh Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged cases against Wazed in connection with her academic qualification while seeking the high-profile job earlier this year. According to ACC’s charges, Wazed used her mother’s influence to achieve the position of the regional chief of the WHO.
As per the report, she falsely stated she held an honorary position at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, a claim the university has refuted. Wazed is also accused of being involved in extensive corruption during her mother’s tenure as Bangladesh’s leader. According to the ACC, she used her influence and connections to unlawfully obtain approximately $2.8 million from multiple banks, channeling the money through the Shuchona Foundation, an organization she formerly led.
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