Syed Modasser Ali

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an intercollegiate basis by the four Royal Colleges of Surgeons (the Royal C ...

, FRCOpth is an ophthalmic surgeon from

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and was the Health, Family Welfare and Social Welfare adviser to the Bangladeshi Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Prime Minister ...

, from 2009 to 2013. He is the founder of Mojibunnessa Eye Hospital, the first registered eye hospital in Bangladesh and founding editor-in-chief of the ''Bangladesh Ophthalmic Journal'', the first peer-review ophthalmic journal in Bangladesh. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of Community Ophthalmology ( public eye health) and his book titled ''Community Ophthalmology'', published in 1985, is considered to be the first textbook on the subject by the ''

British Journal of Ophthalmology The ''British Journal of Ophthalmology'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of ophthalmology. The journal was established in 1917 by the amalgamation of the ''Royal London (Moorfields) Ophthalmic Hospital Reports'' with the ''O ...

''. He is currently overseeing th
Bangladesh Community Clinic
programme as chair of the board of trustees. He is an executive board member of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO), having previously served on the board twice before. In 2013, Ali was named as one of the 20 most innovative surgeons alive by healthcare education website Healthcare-Administration-Degree.net. He is also a recipient of Bangladesh National Personality Research Centre's Freedom Fighter Award for his services during the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

Career

Ali was the Health and Family Welfare and Social Welfare adviser to the Bangladeshi prime minister, from 2009 to 2013, with the full rank and status of a senior cabinet minister. He was one of seven advisers (one of only five with a portfolio) to the government providing the prime minister and the cabinet advise on various national and international issues. He was also a member of the executive committee of the National Economic Council, the highest political authority for consideration of development projects in Bangladesh, during this time. He is currently overseeing th
Bangladesh Community Clinic
programme as chair of the board of trustees. He was the Director-General o
Health Services
for the

government in 2001,

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the Faculty of Postgraduate Medicine and Research at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

from 1998 to 2001, chairman of the

Bangladesh Medical Research Council Bangladesh Medical Research Council is an autonomous national research body that carries out research on medical and health sciences and plans and prioritize research in Bangladesh and is located in Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prof. Syed Moda ...

(BMRC) from 1998 to 2003 and director (and

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

) of the National Institute of Ophthalmology in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

, Bangladesh from 1997 to 2001. Under his chairmanship BMRC was awarded the prestigious

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

50th Anniversary Primary Healthcare Development Award in 1998. He was also the president of the Ophthalmic Society of Bangladesh and in January 2015 the first peer-reviewed ophthalmic journal in Bangladesh, the ''Bangladesh Ophthalmic Journal'', was launched with Ali as the founding editor-in-chief. He is currently the chairman of the governing body of

Dhaka City College Dhaka City College ( bn, ঢাকা সিটি কলেজ) also known as DCC, is one of the oldest private college in the country of Bangladesh. It is located at Qudrat-i-Khuda road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It offers Honors and Masters degr ...

, one of the oldest colleges in Bangladesh, a member of the board of directors of Beacon Pharmaceuticals Limited (Bangladesh), the first manufacturer of anticancer drugs in Bangladesh, and has returned as chairman of the

. Ali has been a lifelong anti-smoking campaigner and played a central role in the banning of smoking in public places in his home country of Bangladesh where nearly 50% of adults use tobacco for recreational purposes. In his capacity as the health and family welfare adviser to the prime minister of Bangladesh, he oversaw changes in legislation to fully comply with the provisions of the

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is a treaty adopted by the 56th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland on 21 May 2003. It became the first World Health Organization treaty adopted under ...

and was awarded the WHO

World No Tobacco Day Award World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on 31 May. The yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the World Health Organization (WHO) is ...

2010 for his work on tobacco control. He was also the vice-president of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) representing the

South-East Asia Region from 2010 to 2012.

Political life

While studying for his medical degree at

Dhaka Medical College Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It houses medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on one campus. The country's first eve ...

, Ali was elected as the vice-president of

Bangladesh Chhatra League The Bangladesh Chhatra League ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ছাত্রলীগ; translation: Bangladesh Students' League; BSL), formerly known as the East Pakistan Student League, often simply called the Chhatra League, is a students' po ...

, the student wing of

Bangladesh Awami League Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. However, since then he has terminated any official affiliation with the Awami League, but has been the personal physician of the current Awami League president,

. He was active in negotiations with the military-backed Bangladesh caretaker government regarding sending Hasina, who was detained on corruption charges, abroad for treatment, and threatened to sue the government over negligence regarding Hasina's treatment during her detention in 2008. He also served as a government adviser to Sheikh Hasina, the current prime minister of Bangladesh, and was involved in the formulation of the prime minister's peace model presented at the 66th session of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

Books

Ali has authored several books on community ophthalmology and politics. * Community Ophthalmology, Anamoy Publishers 1985, * ''Shontrasher Majhe Boshobash'' (Living within terrorism), Anannya 1993, * ''Shat Dashoker Chhatra Rajniti'' (60s' student politics), National Publication 2003

Personal life

Ali was born in

Gopalganj Gopalganj may refer to: Bangladesh *Gopalganj District, Bangladesh, a district of Dhaka Division **Gopalganj, Bangladesh, a town and headquarter of Gopalganj district **Gopalganj Sadar Upazila, an upazila of Gopalganj District ** Gopalganj-1, a pa ...

, Bangladesh in 1946. He is married and has three children.

Hallmark Group loan scam

On 29 August 2012, the Anti Corruption Commission of Bangladesh said they have information that Ali allegedly influenced Sonali Bank authorities into granting a scam loan to the controversial Hallmark Group, an allegation that he denied. No charges were brought against Ali following an investigation by a specially convened parliamentary committee.

References

External links

Prime Minister's Office, Bangladesh Government

The Executive Board, World Health Organization

The Awami League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Syed Modasser Bangladeshi ophthalmologists University of Dhaka faculty Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons 1946 births Living people Awami League politicians Dhaka College alumni Dhaka Medical College alumni