Staff Reporter : Chaos has arisen due to the introduction of automation or automatic admission process in the private medical colleges of the country. Aspiring students are being denied the opportunity to get admission in the medical college of their choice. As a result, students are discouraged from entering this profession. The students and parents are disappointed and offended. Many seats in private medical colleges are remaining vacant due to automation admission process. Conspiracy to destroy the private medical sector in the name of automation has been claimed by Conscious Parents and Bangladesh Private Medical College Association. As a result, they demanded to cancel the admission process through automation.According to the sources of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, automation or automatic system has been introduced in MBBS admission in medical colleges from the academic year 2022-2023. In this system, students are admitted to government and private medical colleges on the basis of merit list. Students cannot choose the colleges of their choice. First, the students were given the choice of admission in 5 medical colleges. Later this policy was changed to 60 medical colleges for boys and 66 for girls.
Private medical college authorities say that automation has been introduced to destroy the private medical sector. The previous government started this automation ignoring the opinion of Beskari Medical College authorities and medical education experts. In the name of protecting the quality of education, the officials of the Ministry of Health and BM&DC have put the blame on others. It is the government that approves private medical colleges and also makes policies. The health department has the authority to take action if anyone does not follow those policies and guidelines. Apart from the government, many reputed private hospitals are providing international quality medical services. The middle class or most of the wealthy are now taking medical care in the country. It is not possible for the government alone to ensure healthcare for all by destroying the private medical sector. The then inefficient, incompetent and corrupt officials of the Ministries and Directorates have introduced automation systems to increase their source of income. They have imposed this new law to cover their incompetence. After the introduction of this system, all the seats in most of the private medical colleges are not filled in every academic year, instead, most of the seats are vacant. Institutions are in crisis due to this and it is affecting the medical education program as well.
Problems with automation system in admissions : In MBBS admission, four times the allotted number of seats have passed the admission test, but due to the automation system, the aspiring students are not getting the opportunity to get admission in the medical school of their choice. As a result, students are turning away from medical education. Several problems have been observed with the automation system in medical admissions.
Student dropout rates are increasing : Many students have fallen victim to this automation system imposed as per the prescription given by the Ministry of Health and Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC). Due to this policy, the aspiring students are disappointed and aggrieved as they are deprived of the opportunity to get admission in the medical college of their choice.
According to the admission list prepared by the Department of Health, students who grew up in the capital city of Dhaka have got the opportunity to get admission in any medical college in the villages outside Dhaka. In this case, many students’ families do not want to enroll there, where it is difficult for their child to adapt. Again, many of the Mofswal got the opportunity to study in the capital. But it is difficult for them to bear the expenses here. Thus, the automation system is killing the desire of many students to become doctors.
Preferential Medical Admission Neglected:
College list needs to be added while filling the form for online private medical admission in automation system. In this process, the student is informed through short message (SMS) about getting admission in a particular medical college after applying. As a result, there is no matter of their choice. Students who do not get admission in preferred medical colleges are turning away from medical studies.
Seat Vacancy:
In the automation system, students are not getting admission because they do not get the college of their choice. As a result, seats remain vacant in most of the private medical colleges even at the end of the year. Due to vacant seats, the merit list was sent 3 times in automation in the academic year 2022-23 and 2023-24, but many did not get admission in the college of their choice. Even in the poor and meritorious quota, the seats are not being filled because of not getting colleges of their choice at no cost.
It has been found that out of 1 lakh 2 thousand 369 students participating in MBBS first year admission test of 2023-24 academic year, 49 thousand 923 candidates have passed. Among them, 5 thousand 380 seats were filled in 37 government medical colleges, but 6 thousand 295 seats were not filled in 67 approved private medical colleges. This year 1 thousand 200 seats are vacant in private medical colleges. Besides, the admission process is still going on, which is pushing the life of students towards uncertainty.
Classes start late :Admission process in automation is very time consuming. Even after releasing the merit list several times, the classes have to be started late because of the original vacancy. Besides, many of the first admitted students are leaving after the classes have started and many are getting admitted according to the next list. As a result, the students have to read the class in irony. Besides, many students are not getting admission in the college of their choice and are not getting admission elsewhere.
Foreign students are also losing interest in pursuing medical education in Bangladesh due to the automation system. Before the introduction of automation, enough students from different countries like India, Nepal, Sri Lanka used to come to study medicine. Automation is not making anyone happy. As a result, foreign students are also turning away from medical admissions in Bangladesh. According to the government policy, foreign students completed 45 percent in the last 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years. But the desired students are not available from academic year 2023-2024 and 2024-2024. As a result, the medical education sector in the state is not deprived of the desired foreign currency.
A parent named Mahbub Raihan got angry and said that since my daughter got a chance in a government medical school in a distant district, there is no decision to teach her daughter in any private medical school in the capital. But due to the introduction of automation system, I failed to admit my daughter in government medical. Due to this procedure, my daughter’s admission in private medical was lost. And this is where his dream of becoming a doctor ended. I don’t think there is a need for rules where there is no such thing as people’s likes and dislikes. Let this system of automation, which is destroying the dreams of many children like my daughter, be scrapped.
Another parent working in a private institution said that the Ministry of Health can introduce automation system in admissions in the case of government medical colleges, but automation in private institutions means taking away people’s rights. Those who will study in private will study with money, study wherever they want. Government should not interfere with it.
Habibul Haque, treasurer of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association, said that the automation method was taken from India. But the situation of other countries and our situation has not been considered in applying it to our own case. There is a need for automation. It is not like that in our country. Here one is interested against a few seats.
He also said that a student grew up in Dhaka, studied and can afford to study in any medical school in Dhaka. He is being paid by his family. Barisal is being given to him. Now this son of Dhaka will go to Barisal or any other district? He is either going abroad for medical studies, or taking admission in a private university or a public university.
Bangladesh Private Medical College Association, an organization of private medical college owners, has demanded that automation is a discriminatory practice. On September 19 of this year, the organization sent a letter to the health advisor. In the letter, they mentioned, those who want to study in expensive education like private medical, they want to spend their own money to study in the college of their choice. Due to automation, many people are not able to get admission in preferred colleges even if they have money. Students and college authorities will be benefited if the automation system is canceled and reverted to the previous system.
Public health expert Professor Dr. Muhammad Abdus Sabur said, in the name of automation, a huge burden is being imposed on the admission of students in private medical colleges. Dissatisfaction has arisen among students, parents, owners and even doctors. Care must be taken that this approach does not become a tool to destroy the private medical sector.
He also said that admission to medical in automation system is a long process. Many talented people are leaving the country without getting their preferred college. So I think it is possible to go back to the old system for the benefit of all parties.