Syed Modasser Ali

FRCS Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

, FRCOpth () is an ophthalmic surgeon from

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

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

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

, 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 list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

(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 (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

Early life

Ali was born in February 1946 to a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

family of

Syeds ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn. The title may also refer to the descendants of the fam ...

in Gopalganj, then part of the

Faridpur district Faridpur District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh. It is a part of Dhaka Division. It is bounded by the Padma River to the northeast. The district was named for its headquarters, the city of Faridpur, Bangladesh, Faridpur, which its ...

of the Bengal Province.

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 * Dean Sw ...

of the Faculty of Postgraduate Medicine and Research at

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

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/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

) of the National Institute of Ophthalmology in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

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

WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has 6 regional offices and 15 ...

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 () also known as DCC, is one of the oldest private colleges in Bangladesh. It is located at Qudrat-i-Khuda Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It offers Honors and Masters degree programs as well as higher secondary education ( HSC). T ...

, 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 annual observance 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 (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...

, Ali was elected as the vice-president of

Bangladesh Chhatra League Bangladesh Chhatra League, simply Chhatra League (), is the student wing of the political party, Bangladesh Awami League, founded by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 4 January 1948. The organisation is banned and listed as a terrorist organisation in B ...

, the student wing of

Bangladesh Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

. 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 during her time as the 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; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

Books

Ali has authored several books on

community ophthalmology Community ophthalmology was described as a new discipline in medicine promoting eye health and Visual impairment, blindness prevention through programs utilizing methodologies of public health, community medicine, and ophthalmology in 1978. This new ...

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

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 Academic staff of the University of Dhaka Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England 1946 births Living people Awami League politicians Dhaka College alumni Dhaka Medical College alumni Dhaka City College alumni Academic staff of Sir Salimullah Medical College 20th-century Bangladeshi physicians 21st-century Bangladeshi physicians