70 Percent of Doctors Returning from Abroad Fail the Registration Exam, Says State Minister for Health

Only 30 percent of students who returned home with medical degrees from abroad have passed the doctors' registration examination, meaning 70 percent have failed. Citing this figure, State Minister for Health Dr M A Muhit urged parents to verify the quality of the institution concerned before sending their children abroad to study medicine.

He made the call on Wednesday (November 4) while speaking as chief guest at the inauguration of an Assessor Training programme held at the conference room of the Bangladesh Medical Education Accreditation Council (BMEAC) in Mohakhali, Dhaka.

Taking a firm stance on ensuring the quality of medical education in the country, the state minister said the government has not approved any new private medical college since he took charge. Pressure has been coming from various influential quarters over this, he said, but no one will be allowed to establish a medical college without meeting the required standards and conditions.

He said a situation in which there are medical colleges without hospitals, and people become doctors without ever seeing patients, cannot continue. To ensure the quality of medical education, there must be the necessary infrastructure, hospitals and adequate opportunities to see patients.

Raising the issue of disparity and the uneven geographical distribution of medical education in the country, Dr Muhit said nearly 50 percent of the country's medical and dental colleges are located in Dhaka Division, while there is imbalance across the other seven divisions.

He said the tendency to demand a medical college in one's own district or upazila at any opportunity, in parliament or in political speeches, must be abandoned. Infrastructure for this sector must be built in a planned way, considering the needs of healthcare and medical education.

Emphasising the need to follow international standards in medical education, the state minister said accreditation must be achieved following the standards of the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), recognised by the World Health Organization. Otherwise, he said, the global workplace for future generations of doctors will shrink.

Dr Muhit also said maintaining international standards is now essential to restore the professional dignity of doctors and public trust in them.