Salma Wazed, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) South-East Asia head and daughter of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has resigned following fraud investigations by the United Nations agency and Bangladeshi authorities.
Salma’s case shows how the fallout from Hasina’s ouster following a deadly uprising against her around mid-2024 has spread to her family members, beyond her political allies.
The WHO placed Salma, who took office as its South-East Asia regional director in early 2024 for a five-year term, on unpaid administrative leave last year.
She was first sent on leave in July 2025 after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, under an interim government that replaced Hasina, filed charges against her in March that year alleging fraud and forgery.
The WHO accused Salma of “committing financial fraud in relation to her travel to China” and of misrepresenting her academic credentials, according to a separate letter from her lawyers to the WHO on July 3, 2026. Salma has denied the allegations.
The WHO also alleged that Salma had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh, according to her resignation letter to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Salma said she acquired the land before she joined the WHO and was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law that covered the families of the country’s independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father.
“I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done,” Wazed said in her resignation letter to Tedros.
“Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO,” she wrote.
“Moreover, after nearly one year without any remuneration following your decision to place me on unpaid leave, my financial situation has become untenable. In these circumstances, I am choosing to step aside.”
Two sources said earlier the UN agency was planning to formally remove Salma. One of them said the WHO would announce nominations for the role on Oct 12, vet applications in December and hold elections on Jan 24.
Regional directors are among the world’s most influential health policy officials, with their duties including responses to outbreaks and emergencies and adapting WHO policies to local conditions. — Reuters
