Dr S. M. Ziauddin Hyder is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Health Affairs, holding the status of a State Minister. He was appointed to the position on 22 April 2026.
A physician, public-health specialist and development professional, Dr Hyder has more than three decades of experience in health, nutrition and development programmes across Asia, Africa and other regions. Before assuming his current role, he served as a senior health and nutrition specialist at the World Bank Group, where he worked on health-system reform, multisectoral nutrition programmes and large-scale development operations.
His professional career has also included positions with BRAC, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. His work has contributed to nutrition policy development, micronutrient interventions, and the global Scaling Up Nutrition movement.
Dr Hyder earned his MBBS from Sher-e-Bangla Medical College in 1988, followed by a master’s degree in Food and Nutrition Planning from the University of the Philippines and a PhD in Nutritional Epidemiology from Umeå University, Sweden.
In his current role, he has emphasised strengthening primary healthcare, preventive care and the integration of nutrition into Bangladesh’s health system.
