Health and nutrition expert Dr SM Ziauddin Haider has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Health Affairs with the status of a deputy minister, according to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on Wednesday.
The notification, signed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani under the President’s order, stated that the prime minister made the appointment according to the Rules of Business. Haider will receive the status, salary and allowances, and other privileges of a deputy minister.
Haider, also an adviser to the BNP Chairman, hails from Naikathi in Sadar Upazila of Jhalakathi. He worked for a long time as a Senior Health and Nutrition Specialist at the World Bank.
Over his long career, as a professional health expert and development personality, he has worked for 30 years in sustainable health, nutrition, and sustainable development in 35 countries across Asia, Africa, and South America, according to official sources.
He also has experience working with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Atomic Energy Commission.
After completing his undergraduate studies at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, Haider obtained a Master’s degree in Food and Nutrition Planning from the University of the Philippines and a PhD in Nutrition and Epidemiology from Umeå University in Sweden.
Haider was a joint convener of the first committee of Dhaka College Chhatra Dal. He served as vice president of Barisal District Chhatra Dal in the 1980s and was president of Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Chhatra Dal.
