PM Hasina stresses ensuring quality in private medical colleges

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stressed improving the quality of medical education in private colleges.

“Our private sector is thriving. They have set up medical colleges. But I would suggest they pay more attention to quality,” she said at the inauguration of a conference of doctors and nurses in Dhaka on Sunday.

Bangladesh Society of Critical Care Medicine and Bangladesh Society of Critical Care Nursing arranged the 10-day international conference at the Krishibid Institute.

The country has 69 private medical colleges while 28 public and private dental colleges at present. There are 36 government medical colleges in the country.

Hasina called on the doctors to focus more on writing books and urged the health ministry and professional associations to build more libraries in the medical colleges.

She flagged out that 12,728 assistant surgeons and 118 dental surgeons were appointed in the last nine years of her rule.

A total of 13,000 health workers were assigned at the field level and about 12,500 nurses were appointed during this period, according to Hasina.

Describing nursing as a respectable, service-oriented profession, the prime minister said: “I want people to realise this. In our country, people once looked down upon the job whereas it is considered quite respectable across the globe.”

Hasina mentioned how nursing was elevated to grade 2 profession during her regime.

“We tend to send our doctors abroad for higher education. Why is that? Do we lack in knowledge or talent? No. But we do lack opportunities.”

Citing her recent conversation with her Singapore counterpart, Hasina said: “They successfully treat critical patients. I asked him what the secret was.”

NO VISITOR FOR CRITICAL PATIENTS

Hasina advised doctors to be stricter to stop visitors from crowding critical care units. “I have noticed two things. One, the patient feels bad if there is no visitor. The other point is that the prime minister must go and see a political leader if he is in hospital, as if it is a prestige issue.”

“I have stopped visiting critical patients. This is not allowed abroad because this can harm the patients. But it seems to be no big deal here. Relatives, political leaders go and crowd the place,” Hasina went on.

“I strongly urge the doctors to take care of the matter.”

Hasina suggested creating separate corners for visitors of critical patients, she said: “It is the digital era. Patients can be seen through monitors.”

Hasina narrated how photographers insisted that she should enter ICUs to visit the victims of Nimtoli fire and 2015 arsons. “They just care for a photo but not the patient. Sometimes they even enter operating theatres with cameras. Why do they need to do so?”

BSCCM President UH Shahera Khatun moderated the event. Health Minister Mohammed Nasim also spoke.