Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's daughter Saima Wazed appointed WHO's South-East Asia chief

The executive board of the ‘World Health Organisation’ (WHO ) in Geneva on Tuesday confirmed Saima Wazed, the daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the next regional director of the WHO’s Southeast Asia Region. Wazed, a psychologist and mental health professional, will be the first from Bangladesh and the second woman regional director of the Southeast Asia Region after India’s Poonam Khetrapal Singh who held the position since 2014. Ms Wazed begins a five-year term on 1 February 2024. She is the first from Bangladesh and the second woman Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Region. She was nominated as the next Regional Director in a vote by the Regional Committee for Southeast Asia on 1 November 2023 in New Delhi, India. After taking oath as the new Regional Director, Wazed said that mental health….a long-neglected area would be her one of the priority. “It is time to turn the tide against the silent illnesses of mental health which impacts every aspect of the lives affected. I will work towards ensuring relative parity between physical and mental health in our healthcare systems,” she said. “I look forward to devising and implementing specific interventions for women and children, including pregnant women. This will be created with education, empowerment, and prevention in mind. Structured with a life-course approach, this will include comprehensive well-being and health screenings, vaccination and nutrition programs, promotion of both physical and mental well-being, and resilience,” she said. Wazed also emphasised partnerships, collaboration and financing that are transparent, sustainable and provide adequate return on investment.