TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY

The BNP government has approved the first public medical college in its current term, with plans underway to establish seven more, as many established medical schools grapple with severe shortages of teachers and infrastructure.

The resource and workforce crunch at the existing public medical colleges, particularly those set up in recent years, is so acute that the interim government cut a significant number of seats at 14 colleges after an assessment last year.

Against this backdrop, the health ministry, on May 14, approved the establishment of Thakurgaon Medical College, taking the total number of government medical colleges to 38.

The order, signed by Health Secretary Md Quamruzzaman Chowdhury, takes effect immediately, meaning the college authorities are cleared to begin admitting students from the upcoming academic session.

The approval process, however, bypassed the recommendations of the Health Sector Reform Commission formed by the interim government.

In its report submitted in May last year, the commission suggested that experts should thoroughly assess the necessity for and feasibility of establishing any new medical college.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Awami League-led government established 20 public medical colleges, with many of those approvals made on political grounds, officials said.

Political leaders often believe that establishing a public medical college in their areas would bring in professor- or associate professor-level doctors and reflect their party’s success.

The then administration had also increased 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.

The lack of teachers and infrastructure is hampering the quality of medical education, which will eventually have an adverse impact on the health sector, experts said.

After the fall of the AL regime in August 2024, the interim government sharply criticised the earlier expansion and announced plans to rationalise seats to uphold academic standards.

In November last year, the health ministry cut 355 seats across 14 government medical colleges, though new allocations elsewhere brought the net reduction to 280 seats.

The interim government, however, in January this year gave conditional approval for the establishment of a new public medical college in Munshiganj, saying academic activities could begin only after the necessary infrastructure had been developed.

Two advisers to the interim government from the district played a key

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