Today, the World Health Organization selected Saima Wazed, the 49-year-old daughter of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as its South-East Asia director. This decision came a month after she faced accusations of nepotism regarding her application, which she denied.
Wazed expressed her anticipation for improving the health of South-East Asia in a post on X, formerly Twitter. She will be overseeing an 11-nation region that is home to a quarter of the world’s population.
Her role holds significant importance in shaping health policies, particularly during times of crisis, as noted by the respected medical journal, The Lancet.
In September, The Lancet raised concerns about transparency and nepotism in Wazed’s candidacy, highlighting that candidates from other nations had medical backgrounds or doctorates. Wazed uses the username @drSaimaWazed on X, likely due to an honorary doctorate she received from a Bangladeshi university named after her grandfather.
Her application stated that she holds an advanced graduate degree in school psychology from Barry University in Florida, where she is also a doctoral candidate. In a secret ballot on Wednesday, Wazed prevailed over Nepal’s Shambhu Acharya, a 65-year-old professor of global health at the University of Washington with over three decades of WHO experience. Last month, Wazed refuted claims of nepotism, emphasizing her role as Bangladesh’s chief advisor for its strategic mental health plan. She criticized the reduction of her identity to simply being her mother’s daughter, calling it sexism. Wazed has accompanied her mother to various high-profile diplomatic events, including the G20 summit in New Delhi, BRICS Summit in South Africa, and the United Nations General Assembly.
Prime Minister Hasina, who has been in power for 15 years, has overseen significant economic growth, but her government has faced allegations of corruption and human rights abuses. Wazed is viewed by many of Hasina’s supporters in Bangladesh as a potential successor, especially with general elections on the horizon within three months. Wazed’s nomination is set to be reviewed by the WHO’s top board in January.
