Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission has filed two cases against Saima Wazed, who currently serves as the regional director of the World Health Organization for Southeast Asia.
According to local news reports, the cases were filed on Thursday in Dhaka. One of the cases alleged that Wazed provided false information in her application in 2023 for the WHO regional director position — in particular, for claiming she is an honorary specialist/expert in autism and spectrum disorder and mental health at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
During the race for the WHO position, allegations circulated questioning Wazed’s educational degrees. But Barry University in Florida, USA, from which she obtained graduate and postgraduate degrees, came out with a news release confirming she’s a three-time alumnus of the institution.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
