Saima Wazed
Credit: X/drSaimaWazed
New Delhi: Saima Wazed, a mental health professional and daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is set to be the new Regional Director for the WHO South East Asia region, the UN health body announced here on Wednesday.
“Member states voted to nominate Saima Wazed during a closed meeting at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region. The nomination will be submitted to the WHO Executive Board during its 154th session, taking place on 22−27 January 2024 in Geneva,” the agency said in a press statement.
The newly appointed Regional Director will take office on February 1, 2024. She will take over from Poonam Khetrapal Singh, an Indian bureaucrat, who was at the helm for two consecutive terms.
The closed-door election took place amidst a major controversy after Bangladesh fielded Prime Minister Hasina’s daughter in the race, raising concerns about transparency and nepotism. Saima defeated Shambhu Prasad Acharaya, a WHO veteran fielded by Nepal.
Out of 11 members of the SEAR, eight countries voted for the Bangladesh candidate while two voted for Nepal. Myanmar was not allowed to vote.
While there are allegations of Dhaka lobbying New Delhi for its support of Saima, there is no official statement from either of the two governments. Last month, Saima was in Delhi with her mother for the G20 summit. She has also been observed attending other multilateral summits that were attended by the Prime Ministers and Presidents of various countries.
Earlier this year, more than 60 health experts wrote to the WHO, requesting increased transparency and oversight in the WHO election process, although they did not mention Saima by name in their letter. There were also reports and editorials in the prestigious medical journal Lancet, raising concerns about how Saima's nomination had sparked "questions about transparency and nepotism."