Staff Reporter :
The government has decided to set up two more medical universities in Chittagong and Rajshahi.
The Cabinet on Monday approved in principle the drafts of ‘the Chittagong Medical University Bill, 2015’ and ‘the Rajshahi Medical University Bill, 2015’ for the purpose.
The decision came from the regular Cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. In 1998, the then Institute of Post Graduate Medicine and Research, popularly known as the PG Hospital, was upgraded to the medical university and named the Banganbandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. It is the first medical university in Bangladesh.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said, the aim of the present government is to develop the country’s health sector and to build expert physicians for which there is need of establishing more medical universities. “There is also a necessity of more skilled manpower in the sector.”
He said, the new medical universities would open the window for higher studies and conducting researches.
Musharraf Hossain said, the National Health Council meeting held in March last year with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair decided to set up two new medical universities in Chittagong and Rajshahi.
He said that the Health and Family Welfare Ministry placed the two draft bills in the Cabinet meeting today (Monday) after obtaining opinions from various stakeholders in line with the BSMMU law.
Each of the draft bills has 57 sections, objectives for setting up the university, its formation and power of the university authorities, personnel, UGC jurisdiction, and necessary rules and regulations.
The Cabinet Secretary said, there will be separate new medical universities in Chittagong and Rajshahi while the existing Chittagong and Rajshahi medical colleges and the surrounding medical colleges of the respective areas would be treated as affiliated bodies of these two universities.
The universities would impart postgraduate-level education while the bachelor-level education will be given in medical colleges. However, the bachelor-level education on nursing would be imparted in medical universities.
The Cabinet Secretary said, the President will be the chancellor of these two universities, while the vice-chancellors will be of four-year term. Besides, there will be two pro vice-chancellors in each university alongside the treasurers and registrars.
