TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY

The total number of seats in government and private medical colleges has been cut by 572 this year, despite the government’s approval of a new private college with 50 seats.

According to the 2025–26 admission circular, there will be 5,100 seats across 37 government medical colleges, down from 5,380 last year.

Meanwhile, 66 private medical colleges, including the newly approved one, will offer 6,001 seats, compared to 6,293 in the previous session.

The newly approved Barrister Rafiq-ul-Huq Medical College in Dhaka has been allowed to enrol 50 students.

However, the authorities have suspended student enrolment at two private medical colleges for failing to meet required standards.

They are Bikrampur Bhuiyan Medical College in Munshiganj (57 seats) and Monowara Sikder Medical College in Shariatpur (50 seats).

Health Secretary Saidur Rahman said the ministry conducted a comprehensive assessment of all medical colleges, considering their infrastructure, teacher-student ratio, hospital facilities, and other criteria.

“Based on the assessment, the number of seats has been either increased or decreased,” he told The Daily Star last night. “All the measures have been taken to ensure better medical education and ultimately improve the country’s healthcare system,” he added.

The decision to reduce the overall number of seats comes two years after the previous administration increased the seats by 1,030 for the 2023–24 session, a move widely criticised for being made without proper assessment despite shortages of teachers, infrastructure, and laboratory facilities.

Officials said many of those approvals were made on political grounds. After the fall of the Awami League government in August last year, the interim administration sharply criticised the earlier expansion and announced plans to rationalise seats to uphold academic standards.

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