There is no estimate available here about the number of those who got degrees from such private medical colleges. But surely they are not to be regarded as equivalents of their counterparts passing out from government run medical colleges where the training and teaching of potential doctors are undoubtedly superior

Training and teaching of potential doctors in private medical colleges

The number of privately run medical colleges in the country is 35. But most of them are, reportedly, medical colleges in name only. Out of these medical centres of learning and training, 25 were allegedly given operating licenses on political considerations and connections to influential persons under the past administrations. Certain criteria have to be met prior to getting official approval to run such medical colleges. The criteria were hardly fulfilled while this approval was given to them on political consideration and influence peddling.
Not even a few of them have satisfied the initial requirements or infrastructures needed to qualify as higher centres of learning in the medical field. All or nearly all of them do not even have an hospital within or near the campus area which should be indispensable for laying a claim as a medical college. Doctors with high qualifications and experience who can be relied on to impart proper medical training or to teach successfully at that level, are non existent in these colleges. Facilities for practical classes on anatomy that require morgues, dissection units and other related paraphernalia, are not to be found in these so called medical colleges. Laboratory facilities for learning in pathology and related areas are similarly non existent or exist in very inadequate forms.  Libraries are the main possessions of these medical colleges in most cases. But the libraries are also not so resourceful like the ones at the publicly run medical colleges. The greatest inadequacy seems to be in the area of practical training. In the publicly operated medical colleges, the attached hospital proves to be a ready training ground and for acquiring practical knowledge of the illnesses and procedure for their treatment. Lacking in this vital area, the private medical colleges can hardly provide this invaluable experience and training to their students.
There are certain areas where training of professionals must be foolproof. Teaching and training to create such professionals is held to be like a sacred duty where there cannot be any room for concessions, compromise or acceptance of poor quality. Medical training is one such very vital area because those who train to be doctors are entrusted to discharge duties that relate directly to the life and physical well-being of humans.
There cannot be any playing around with human lives and only thoroughly trained professionals in the field are duly expected to attend to patients. Thus, one shudders to think how dangerous persons are being created to pose as doctors when they are actually ill equipped in every sense to treat sick people. They are more likely to emerge as killers of people from their lack of abilities, know-how and proper medical knowledge.
There is no estimate available here about the number of those who got degrees from these so called private medical colleges. Surely, they are not to be regarded as equivalents of their counterparts passing out from government run medical colleges where the training and teaching of potential doctors are undoubtedly superior. It is imperative that this lack of uniformity in skills and training should be bridged.  Private medical colleges should be immediately warned to go for improving their standards, fully, in every respect or face penalties including closure. They may be given deadlines to meet in this respect. The ones who have already got degrees from the privately run medical colleges should be identified and obliged to go through a certain period of internships in the public medical colleges and universities to reduce their skill and knowledge gaps.

The writer is an internee doctor in government service now doing a course at NIPSOM (National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine), Mahakhali, Dhaka

There is no estimate available here about the number of those who got degrees from such private medical colleges. But surely they are not to be regarded as equivalents of their counterparts passing out from government run medical colleges where the training and teaching of potential doctors are undoubtedly superior

Training and teaching of potential doctors in private medical colleges

The number of privately run medical colleges in the country is 35. But most of them are, reportedly, medical colleges in name only. Out of these medical centres of learning and training, 25 were allegedly given operating licenses on political considerations and connections to influential persons under the past administrations. Certain criteria have to be met prior to getting official approval to run such medical colleges. The criteria were hardly fulfilled while this approval was given to them on political consideration and influence peddling. Not even a few of them have satisfied the initial requirements or infrastructures needed to qualify as higher centres of learning in the medical field. All or nearly all of them do not even have an hospital within or near the campus area which should be indispensable for laying a claim as a medical college. Doctors with high qualifications and experience who can be relied on to impart proper medical training or to teach successfully at that level, are non existent in these colleges. Facilities for practical classes on anatomy that require morgues, dissection units and other related paraphernalia, are not to be found in these so called medical colleges. Laboratory facilities for learning in pathology and related areas are similarly non existent or exist in very inadequate forms. Libraries are the main possessions of these medical colleges in most cases. But the libraries are also not so resourceful like the ones at the publicly run medical colleges. The greatest inadequacy seems to be in the area of practical training. In the publicly operated medical colleges, the attached hospital proves to be a ready training ground and for acquiring practical knowledge of the illnesses and procedure for their treatment. Lacking in this vital area, the private medical colleges can hardly provide this invaluable experience and training to their students. There are certain areas where training of professionals must be foolproof. Teaching and training to create such professionals is held to be like a sacred duty where there cannot be any room for concessions, compromise or acceptance of poor quality. Medical training is one such very vital area because those who train to be doctors are entrusted to discharge duties that relate directly to the life and physical well-being of humans. There cannot be any playing around with human lives and only thoroughly trained professionals in the field are duly expected to attend to patients. Thus, one shudders to think how dangerous persons are being created to pose as doctors when they are actually ill equipped in every sense to treat sick people. They are more likely to emerge as killers of people from their lack of abilities, know-how and proper medical knowledge. There is no estimate available here about the number of those who got degrees from these so called private medical colleges. Surely, they are not to be regarded as equivalents of their counterparts passing out from government run medical colleges where the training and teaching of potential doctors are undoubtedly superior. It is imperative that this lack of uniformity in skills and training should be bridged. Private medical colleges should be immediately warned to go for improving their standards, fully, in every respect or face penalties including closure. They may be given deadlines to meet in this respect. The ones who have already got degrees from the privately run medical colleges should be identified and obliged to go through a certain period of internships in the public medical colleges and universities to reduce their skill and knowledge gaps. The writer is an internee doctor in government service now doing a course at NIPSOM (National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine), Mahakhali, Dhaka