Cabinet sanctions two public medical universities in Bangladesh

The Cabinet has given the go-ahead to installation of two public medical universities in Chittagong and Rajshahi.

Monday’s regular Cabinet meeting approved drafts of ‘Chittagong Medical University Act 2015’ and ‘Rajshahi Medical University Act 2015’.

At present, there is one medical university in Bangladesh. The government upgraded the Institute of Post Graduate Medicine and Research (PG Hospital) to a medical university in 1998.

Twenty-three public medical colleges are in operation in the country while the process is on to set up five more.

Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said medical colleges in Chittagong and Rajshahi regions would be affiliated with these new medical universities.

He said the universities would offer post-graduate courses, and graduate course in nursing.

Last year, the prime minister announced two more medical universities would be set up. She also spoke of upgrading 500-bed military hospitals to medical colleges.