JS body to identify irregularities, graft in pvt medical colleges

16 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Rashidul Hasan

A parliamentary body yesterday formed a sub-committee to identify the areas of irregularities and corruption in private medical colleges and assist government formulate rules to regulate them properly. The parliamentary standing committee on health and family planning ministry also formed another sub-committee to probe irregularities of ministry officials making overseas trips including the Switzerland visit by an 11-member delegation led by the health minister. Most private medical colleges produce incompetent medical professionals due to lack of qualified instructors, medical equipments and laboratory facilities, standing committee member Murad Hasan said after a meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. Most private medial colleges take a huge amount in fees from students but do not maintain minimum standard of teaching, said Murad, also a medical practitioner. It is unimaginable that students of some private medical colleges should be ignorant of elaboration of many medical terms, he said. M Amanullah will head the three-member sub-committee and submit report to the main committee in a month. Two other members are Abdul Mannan and Matiur Rahman. It also recommended that all public and private medical colleges should be brought under the authority of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. The committee members said there are allegations that a number of private universities including Gano Bishwabidyalay and University of Science and Technology, Chittagong have already introduced medical education in violation of the rules and regulations. The Directorate of Health Services told the committee that there are about 43 private medical colleges across the country. On formation of another sub-committee headed by Nazmul Hasan, committee chief Fazlul Karim Selim said wrong people were included in different delegations of the ministry to attend seminars, conferences or other programmes abroad. It has been alleged that the health minister's son-in-law, an assistant professor of a private medical college, was included in the delegation unjustly.