Six medical colleges grapple with lack of infrastructure, teacher, learning facilities

Some six medical colleges have been operating for seven to ten years without any permanent campus. Some of them have yet to even finalise a location for campus, while the others are conducting academic activities at different hospital rooms, with inadequate teachers. 

Due to the shortage of classrooms and laboratories, their students are missing out on crucial hands-on clinical education throughout their academic career. The scenario was found in medical colleges in Netrokona, Naogaon, Nilphamari, Magura, Habiganj, and Rangamati. 

The Rangamati Medical College began its academic activities with just three teachers in January 2015, while Habiganj Medical College was established in 2016 and the others in 2018.

Experts said students are becoming physicians with only theoretical knowledge, instead of any practicals. They often get frustrated with the lack of a college campus and proper residential facilities. It raises concerns over the quality of future healthcare services.  

There are a total of 110 medical colleges across the country, including 37 government medical colleges. Among them, the six medical colleges are running without their own buildings and required infrastructure. The Chandpur Medical College does not even have a dedicated campus.

The authorities place a set of conditions, including their own building, campus, teacher-student ratio, laboratory, and library, for opening a private medical college. The scenario is in stark contrast for government medical colleges as they do not have to fulfill no such conditions to begin operation. Here, all that matters is the government, or influential individuals’ desire. 

In this regard, educationist professor Jatin Sarker told Prothom Alo that running medical colleges without proper infrastructure and necessary facilities is undesirable. If students do not receive proper education, they will become half-trained physicians and the people will be deprived of quality healthcare. 

The medical colleges in Netrokona, Naogaon, Magura, and Nilphamari started their academic activities in the 2018-19 session, with 50 students each. Now, five to six batches of students, totaling more than 300, study in the colleges. 

The Habiganj Medical College began its journey in the 2017-18 academic session with only 51 students, and its student count now stands at 505. It conducts classes in multiple rooms on the second and third floors of the 250-bed district sadar hospital.

During a spot visit on Tuesday, it was seen that administrative activities are being conducted in a small space on the second floor. The principal and vice-principal have separate rooms, while all other teachers share a single room. Classes were underway in five rooms on the second and third floors. 

The college has class rooms with an accommodating capacity of 51 students, but they admit around 100 students in a session, under a directive from the ministry. Two interns, who have just graduated MBBS from the college, expressed frustration over crowded classrooms and inadequate practical lessons. “This cannot continue," one of them said.

Confirming the shortage of teachers and classrooms, college principal Mohammad Jabed Zilul Bari said after his joining three months back, the classrooms were renovated to an accommodating capacity of 100 students. “Now, the most urgent need is a permanent campus. Without it, a medical college cannot function properly.”

The Netrokona Medical College is operating its activities in three renovated quarters of the district sadar hospital. Meanwhile, the Naogaon Medical College is housed in a section of the second floor of the old building of the 250-bed Naogaon General Hospital. It requires at least seven lecture halls for its 320 students, while it has only four.

In Rangamati, the medical college is running its academic and administrative activities in the coronary care unit (CCU) building of Rangamati General Hospital. It requires at least 15 classrooms, but only has five, forcing teachers to take classes for 75 students in rooms meant for 50. It also lacks adequate accommodation, library, common room, and laboratories. 

The authorities constructed a temporary tin-roof dormitory with an accommodating capacity of 72 students. The other students stay in two rented hostels in the Vedvedi area of the hill town. A fourth-year student, Vikramaditya Chakma, said their medical college is suffering from endless problems. “Our academic journey is coming to an end, but we have yet to see our permanent campus.”

However, the medical colleges in Nilphamari and Magura are facing fewer challenges. Since there are no activities of medical assistant training school in Nilphamari, classes are being conducted in the building meant for MATS. Its principal Zimma Hossain noted that a new facility is under construction on 35 acres of land held by the health directorate. 

The Magura Medical College has converted part of an old hospital building into a functioning educational space, including three lecture halls, eight tutorial rooms, two labs, a conference room, a library, teacher rest rooms and student dormitories. It also ensured separate residential facilities for male and female students. 

A sixth-batch student, Marjan Alam, said they are still facing classroom shortages as the first-year seats were increased last year. Besides, their labs are too small, while some are set up on one-fourth of the required space. 

Netrokona Medical College has 78 approved positions, including teachers and curators, but the number of recruits is only 49. As many as 11 out of 12 professor positions remain vacant. 

In this regard, a fourth-year student said,  “Unlike older medical colleges where multiple professors, associate professors, and lecturers teach each department, we have very limited faculty. Particularly, there has been a persistent shortage in clinical classes.” 

An associate professor at the college told Prothom Alo, “The obstetrics department has only one assistant professor against five positions. Likewise, the medicine department has just two associate professors against five positions, while the surgery department has two associate professors.” 

He noted that the teachers are overburdened with various types of work, while students are being deprived in various ways. 

A similar scenario was found in the remaining medical colleges. The Habiganj Medical College has 36 vacant positions against a total 83 positions for teachers. In Naogaon, seven out of 11 professor positions are lying vacant, while 14 out of 21 associate professor positions, 11 out of 23 assistant professor positions, and one out of 26 lecturer positions have been unfilled. 

The Nilphamari Medical College has only two professors among 56 teachers. The Magura Medical College has just 39 teachers against 95 posts.

Al Amin, a fourth-year MBBS student of Naogaon Medical College, said they have 25 departments, but only four have professors. The lack of experienced teachers made their theoretical and practical learnings difficult. This may impact their skills as physicians. 

It was learned that the MBBS students receive insufficient practical training. Clinical subjects, including gynecology, medicine, and surgery, are supposed to be taught in hospitals under the supervision of experienced physicians. 

However, students of these six medical colleges are graduating with inadequate practical learning, as the authorities, in most cases, conduct some small-scale practical sessions in the adjacent district hospitals.