Four new medical colleges start journey

M Humayun Kabir: The government has approved four state-run new medical colleges in Naogaon, Netrokona, Magura and Nilphamari.
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved those medical colleges.
The minister made the disclosure while briefing media in Dhaka yesterday, reports bdnews24.com.
Another medical college planned for Chandpur is awaiting approval from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nasim said.
Some 250 students will be able to sign up for the 2018-2019 academic session in all those five colleges, he said.
Now, the number of government medical colleges stands at 41 in Bangladesh while the number of private medical colleges is 69. Separately, Bangladesh Army runs six medical colleges.
Seats of those 41 government medical colleges would be 4,068 while all private medical colleges can sign in around 6,000 students.
Hasina had earlier announced a plan to set up one government medical college in each district.
There have been quality concerns in new medical colleges for long. Many of them lack teachers to teach basic subjects such as anatomy, physiology and forensic medicines.
Asked, Nasim said they had examined all these issues before giving the approval. “All those places have 250-bed hospitals. We have demand for doctors.”
“When we open a medical college in a district as per PM’s vision, we can take specialists there. So it improves the healthcare in the area,” said Director General of Health Services Prof Abul Kalam Azad.
State Minister for Health Zahid Maleque said: “We have four doctors for 10,000 doctors, but the WHO says it should be 12.”
The health minister also announced a plan to recruit 7,000 doctors by the first week of November and they will have to serve there for three years, he said.
Nasim also said the prime minster would lay the foundation stone of the newly approved three medical universities in Chattogram, Rajshahi and Sylhet in upcoming October.
Hasina is set to lay the foundation stone of a 10-storey institute at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on September 13 while she will open the 500-bed Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute in Dhaka on October 13.