Efforts to reinstate Saima Wazed Putul as Regional Director of the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Region have intensified, with India taking a leading role in rallying support among member states. A final decision could be taken as early as next week during WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s visit to New Delhi, sources familiar with the matter said.
The WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) is headquartered in the Indian capital. According to informed sources, at least six of the region’s ten member countries have formally and informally expressed support for Saima Wazed’s immediate return to office. Over the past three to four months, India and other supporting states have argued that placing an elected, full-term regional director on indefinite leave at the objection of a single member state—Bangladesh—contravenes WHO norms and established procedures.
Supportive member states have also raised concerns over financial and administrative propriety, noting that Saima Wazed continues to receive full salary and benefits while remaining off duty. They argue that requiring a UN agency to bear such costs without allowing the official to perform her duties is neither reasonable nor sustainable.
Dr Tedros is scheduled to visit New Delhi from December 17 to 19 to attend the second Global Summit on Traditional Medicine and to inaugurate a new WHO office building. Diplomatic sources believe that the issue of Saima Wazed’s reinstatement may be resolved during this visit, with supporting countries keen for the decision to be announced in the presence of the WHO chief and for her to resume her mandate for the remainder of her term.
Saima Wazed, daughter of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, assumed office as Regional Director on February 1, 2024, with a mandate running until 2029. However, following political changes in Bangladesh and objections raised by the interim government, the WHO placed her on indefinite leave on July 11.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two cases against Saima Wazed alleging corruption, forgery, and abuse of power. It is widely believed that these cases, along with formal objections from the Bangladeshi government, prompted the WHO’s decision to send her on leave. In her absence, Katharina Boehme has been serving as Acting Regional Director.
Following the July decision, Saima Wazed’s name and photograph were temporarily removed from the WHO website, though they were later restored amid pressure from member states. She is currently based in New Delhi. Notably, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also been staying in India since last year’s political developments in Bangladesh.
A senior official at Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health said the government has not yet received any formal communication from the WHO regarding Saima Wazed’s reinstatement. The official confirmed that earlier correspondence from the ACC seeking her removal had been conveyed to the WHO through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no official update has been received regarding the latest developments.
As diplomatic maneuvering continues, attention is now focused on next week’s high-level meetings in New Delhi, which could determine whether Saima Wazed returns to lead the WHO’s South-East Asia regional office for the remainder of her term.
