Govt considers closing substandard medical colleges to secure public health future

Infograph: TBS

The health ministry plans to reduce seats, halt admissions, or even close substandard medical colleges to improve the quality of medical education in the country. In recent reviews, it found irregularities in setting up some public and private colleges have lowered education standards.

"The health ministry is finalising a metrics-based evaluation to decide which colleges should have fewer seats and which may need to stop admissions entirely. In cases of extremely poor standards, some colleges could be shut down," said Dr Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the health ministry.

The measures are expected to be implemented in the next academic year.

According to the ministry, poor infrastructure, a severe shortage of teachers in eight core subjects, and insufficient patients in affiliated hospitals are major reasons for the decline in medical education quality. While authorities are offering financial incentives to attract more teachers, visible improvements may take five to seven years.

"If we continue producing low-quality doctors for another seven to eight years, it will become a national threat. Right now, the country is producing more doctors than needed. Considering quality, demand, infrastructure, and faculty development, this intervention is essential," Dr Sayedur said.

Bangladesh currently has 37 government and 72 private medical colleges. Data from the Directorate General of Medical Education (DGME) shows that all 37 government colleges face severe teacher shortages, with 42.6% of sanctioned teaching posts vacant nationwide.

Of 6,446 sanctioned positions, 2,700 remain unfilled, with the shortage most acute at the professor level, where 64.65% of posts are vacant.

Sources at the DGME have raised concerns about six medical colleges built after 2018 in Magura, Nilphamari, Habiganj, Chandpur, Naogaon, and Netrokona. These colleges lack permanent campuses, are not attached to hospitals, and face multiple crises, including teacher shortages. The previous government established these colleges and increased seats without proper planning.

Medical education experts say that under the Awami League government, many medical colleges were set up across districts, often for political reasons. These colleges continue to face infrastructure and teacher shortages, and several are not linked to hospitals.

Public health expert Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, chairman of the National Committee on Health Rights Movement, said, "Teacher shortages in medical colleges have been a long-standing problem. This issue must be addressed because if competent doctors are not trained, patients will ultimately suffer."

Dr Sayedur warned that keeping substandard colleges open blocks the production of quality doctors. "A substandard medical college does not just produce low-quality doctors; it puts the patients treated by them over the next 30–40 years at risk. The continuation of such colleges creates a long-term health threat for the entire country," he said.

He urged citizens not to confuse the presence of medical colleges with access to specialised care, noting that closing such institutions is necessary to secure the country's future.

In addition to these measures, the ministry has announced a review of the medical curriculum and published a Medical Humanities book covering behavioural science, medical ethics, and communication.

Medical admissions will now assess candidates not only on academic merit but also on communication skills, ethical values, empathy, and problem-solving abilities.

The internship period will be extended from 12 to 18 months, with the additional six months spent in rural areas for practical clinical observation and community-based primary healthcare training.