Published: 12:34 AM, 23 April 2026
Dr. Zia Haider made PM's special assistant
Famed health expert Dr. SM Zia Uddin Haider has been appointed in the post of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister. Dr. SM Zia Uddin Haider will be providing assistance to the Prime Minister regarding health affairs. A gazette notification from the Cabinet Division was issued on Wednesday (22 April 2026) about this appointment.
Dr. SM Zia Uddin Haider will be entitled to have the honour and privileges equivalent to a State Minister, the Cabinet Division has informed.
Dr. Zia Uddin Haider, a health and nutrition expert from Naikathi village in Jhalakathi, retired as a Senior Health and Nutrition Specialist for the World Bank in 2024, bringing over 30 years of experience working in sustainable health and development across 35 countries.
Dr. Zia Uddin Haider holds an MBBS from Sher-e-Bangla Medical College in Barisal, a Master's in Food and Nutrition Planning from the University of the Philippines, and a PhD in Nutrition and Epidemiology from Umea University in Sweden. He has held leadership positions in various global institutions, including BRAC, FAO, the University of Toronto, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
